It Only Takes a Minute
by Ankhesanamun
Summary: An injured Tempe is left outside of Boston General Hospital. Found by Meredith Grey, how will the course of her life change as the girls grow closer and Tempe recovers? AU B/B and Mer/Der.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok so this is obviously AU so if the characters seem a little different that's why. This chapter does focus more on the characters from grey's anatomy but the characters from bones will be coming so don't panic. ; ).  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Bones and Grey's Anatomy, wish I did but I don't, what you gonna do?**

* * *

It only takes a minute.

_It only takes a minute, one decision made differently for a life to change._

A miserable Meredith Grey stepped out of the Boston General Hospital, yet again abandoned and forgotten by her mother Ellis Grey. Gazing up at the dark sky, she was almost unaware of the rain pouring down upon her as she stepped out into the car-park. Walking away from the main entrance, Meredith's attention was suddenly caught by movement in one of the dark corners of the car-park. Moving towards it she strained her eyes against the darkness in an attempt to see what had caught her attention there. Originally she thought it was a pile of old rags, but as she moved closer the rags appeared to shift again and thinking it might be a trapped animal of some sort, Meredith hurried forward.

Leaning in, she raised her hand to shift the rags from what she believed was a trapped animal,

"Ok, ok, don't worry I'll have you free in a second," she murmured gently, moving her hand closer.

At the sound of her voice the rags shifted again, turning to face her. Finally seeing what had been dumped in the shadowy corner, Meredith gasped, before her lay a young girl, barely conscious and badly beaten. Seeing the eyes of the girl moving to try and focus on her, Meredith knelt down next to her, laying a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder.

"It's alright; you're going to be fine. My Mom works here and I'll go and get her and you'll be fine. Trust me, I mean I know you don't know me but I'm someone you can trust...and I'm rambling again but I'll be back with help, I promise." Meredith smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner and squeezed the girl's shoulder soothingly. Throughout her speech, the girl had been struggling to focus and although a shadow of fear remained in her eyes, Meredith was sure she saw something else flick across her eyes, something similar to trust, before the girl lost her fight and slipped into unconsciousness. Taking her jacket off, she carefully wrapped it round the drenched and broken body of the girl, before running back to the entrance of the hospital.

* * *

Tempe dragged herself through the haze of pain surrounding her to the distant voice that was speaking to her. Her body ached and she struggled to focus on her surroundings. The voice spoke again and then she felt something warm being wrapped around her, before peacefully slipping into pain-free unconsciousness.

* * *

Darting through the entrance, Meredith raced for the surgical floor in search of her mother. Leaping into the elevator, she frantically pounded the button for the correct floor. An eternity seemed to pass as she felt the elevator move upwards but finally the doors opened and Meredith ran out. Heading towards the surgical board, she prayed that her mother would either be there or at least out of surgery. Rounding the corner, her prayers were answered as she saw her mother heading towards her.

"Mom, Mom." Meredith shouted as she skidded to halt in front of her mother.

"Meredith for goodness sake, lower your voice and what have I told you about running wild around the hospital." Ellis snapped, staring coldly at her daughter. "Now what do you want now? I'm busy and I don't have time to deal with any of your shenanigans."

"Mom, it's important. There's a girl, she's in the car-park, I mean I found her in the car-park, she's hurt, badly hurt, Mom, you have to come now, please." Meredith spoke, grabbing her mother's arm and pulling her back towards the elevators.

"Meredith, what on earth are talking about? Let go of me young lady and explain yourself!"

"Mom, please, for once can you just listen to me, please. There's a young girl, she's been beaten and she needs your help. So can you just come with me now?" Meredith stared at her mother, pleading silently with her that she would just follow her and help the girl before it was too late.

Ellis silently gazed at her daughter and then her eyes softened and she turned to the intern who, until that moment had been stood quietly behind her.

"Shepherd, get an emergency kit and meet me in the lobby immediately." Seeing the intern standing there, gazing at Meredith, Ellis snapped, "What are you waiting for? Move, now!"

Straightaway the intern jumped and ran off, presumably in search of the requested kit. Meredith smirked at the frightened expression which had grazed the intern's face, before again focussing on her mother, who was now moving towards the elevators. Hurrying after her, Meredith reached the elevator just as her mother stepped inside.

Walking towards the lobby, she saw that the intern had made it there before them. She chuckled thinking he must have raced down the stairs in order to have beaten them there. Sobering, she followed her mother to the entrance, before leading them outside to where the girl still lay.

The rain had lessened but the dampness of the air still hit Meredith's bare arms and she shivered. As they continued walking towards the girl lay, she felt something warm being draped around her shoulders. Glancing to her left she saw the intern who was still with them, smile briefly before continuing after her mother. Tugging the lab coat tighter around her, she smiled gratefully, relishing the warmth which its owner had left upon it.

Pointing in the correct direction, Meredith called to her mother. "Mom's she over there."

Ellis nodded in response and hurried over to the dark corner to which Meredith had pointed.

"Oh my god," Ellis muttered as she reached the body of the girl. The girl was facing towards the entrance of the hospital and the dim light clearly lit her bruised and bloody features. "We're going to need a gurney over here and get the nurses to prepare C.T. and O.R." She ordered as she knelt down to begin a more thorough examination of the girl's injuries.

As the intern ran back towards the entrance, Meredith slowly approached. She watched as her mother began to work on the girl's injuries, mumbling as she catalogued each one that she found.

"Is she going to be ok, Mom?" Meredith asked her mother quietly.

Ellis sighed and then lifted her eyes to look at her daughter's scared face.

"I'm not sure Meredith, but I promise you that we will do everything we can to help her."

* * *

**Ok this is my first story so I am a little nervous about how it's going to be received. Any constructive comments which can help me make this better are appreciated. I'm still writing this story up however most of it is planned so if people are interested i will keep posting the chapters as fast as i can get them written up. thankfully university is now over and as a graduate bum with no job, i have far too much time on my hands. so i hope you have enjoyed this chapter and also just to let you know i have taken some artistic license with the characters' ages which will be specified soon although just so you know both meredith and tempe are around 17/18 years old. anyway i hope you ****haven't got too fed up after this long note.**** thanks and enjoy. A xxx  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

* * *

"Female, late teens, possible head injury, bruising and minor injuries to at least 60 percent of her body, unconscious at the scene, I'm going to need C.T and an O.R."

Meredith followed her mother through the doors of the hospital, listening as she barked off orders to the interns and nurses around them before directing those pushing the gurney, on which the girl lay, towards C.T. Realising that she was being left behind, Meredith quickly ran to catch them up. Seeing the intern pushing the gurney into the C.T room she decided to follow him rather than her mother, who had again disappeared, presumably to wait for the results of the C.T scan. Wrapping the lab coat, which she still wore, tighter around her she sat down on the plastic chairs outside of the C.T room to wait.

"Miss Grey?" A soft voice asked.

Turning to face the direction from where the voice came, Meredith came face to face with intern who had been with her mother and also given her his lab coat. Smiling gently the intern came nearer and sat down next to her.

"I'm Derek Shepherd; I'm your mother's intern for today." His voice was gentle, unlike the harsh tones of her mother and Meredith smiled slightly in response to the pleasant difference.

"Yes I know so why aren't you in there getting the results of the scan? She won't be pleased with you if she finds out that you're out here with me instead." Meredith replied, smirking as she imagined her mother's response.

"Yeah well I'll deal with that if it happens, I just wanted to see if you were alright. I mean finding this girl, in this condition, and then getting help for her in time, it's not easy even for me to deal with and I'm more used to it. I can't even begin to imagine how it's affecting you." Derek said, examining the petite, blonde girl in front of him, who apparently was the daughter of the legendary Ellis Grey; a daughter he hadn't even known existed before that day.

"I'm fine, really. It's no big deal, I mean, my Mom's one of the best surgeons in this hospital so the girl will be fine. And me, why are you asking about me? Nothing happened to me and I'm not special, I just happened to be there and the girl needed some help so I got it and I'm fine and the girl will be fine and we'll all be fine. So it's no big deal and thank you for the coat and you probably want it back and I'm sorry, I didn't even think, here you go." Meredith said, rambling as she began to take off the lab coat.

Derek watched her, slightly astonished by her rambling before chuckling slightly and saying,

"Wow, did you even breathe throughout all of that?" He chuckled again. "That was quite an impressive speech, and I think the basic point of it was that you're fine, which is good to know. And also keep the coat, you still look a little cold and I won't need it when I go into surgery anyway."

"Dr. Shepherd?" A voice came from within the room.

"That's my cue, I'll be right back." Derek smiled again and disappeared back into the room.

Meredith smiled as she watched him step back into the room, and yawned briefly. After a short time Derek stepped back out holding a batch of films and followed by another intern pushing the girl, who was still unconscious, on the gurney.

"Hey it looks like we'll be taking her into surgery so why don't you go lie down in one of the on-call rooms and I'll come get you when we're done." Derek suggested as he saw Meredith yawn again.

"Ok, if my Mom asks will you tell her where I am?" Meredith answered hesitantly.

Derek nodded, "Just let one of the nurses know which room you're in and I'll come find you when we're done." He smiled again and walked off towards the O.R.

Watching him leave, Meredith stretched and stood up and walked over to the nurses' station before heading into a nearby on-call room.

* * *

"Hey, hey...damn why didn't I ask her what her name was?" Hearing him mutter to himself as she slowly woke, Meredith smiled again.

"Meredith." She said.

"What?" Derek looked a little confused as blue eyes met green.

"My name, it's Meredith." She said again.

"Meredith. Ok then." Derek replied and she grinned slightly at the way her name sounded as he said it. "Well then Meredith, we've completed the girl's surgery successfully and she's now being moved to recovery. Would you like to come see her? Your Mom's been called back to the Pit for a consult so she won't be looking for you for a while."

Nodding, Meredith clambered off the low bed that she had been lying on and the two walked towards the girl's room. As they neared the room, Meredith looked towards Derek and asked,

"Has she woken up yet? Do we know who she is yet?"

"No she hasn't woken up yet, and because of the nature of her surgery we'll be keeping her sedated until tomorrow at least before we try and wake her. And unfortunately she had no forms of I.D on her so we won't know who she is until she wakes up." Derek replied, smiling sadly. Although the surgery had gone well, as always with these types of injury and subsequent surgeries there was a slight undertone of _if she woke up. _

Meredith nodded and quietly walked into the room. Steeling herself, she moved her eyes in the direction of the bed. The girl's body was now covered in bandages and her left leg and both arms were in plaster. A bandage was also wrapped around a portion of her head. In the artificial light of the room, Meredith noticed the auburn colour of the girl's hair and the paleness of her skin. A large cut ran across her forehead, she had a black eye and her lips were cut in addition to the numerous bruises which marred the skin of the girl's face, all obvious signs of abuse. Meredith sighed sadly. Hearing it, Derek looked up from where he had been checking the readings on the monitors.

"Don't worry Meredith; it does actually look worse than it is. She'll be fine, I promise." Derek smiled reassuringly and returned to recording the readings.

The room remained silent, apart from the noises of the monitors and ventilator but as Derek closed the chart he had been working on, Ellis strode into the room, an air of confidence and arrogance surrounding her. Instinctively Meredith pulled back into the chair which she had been sitting in and lowered her head, almost as if she wished to disappear. Derek observed her actions with a worried curiosity, wondering at her response to her own mother's entrance.

"What is the girl's status, Dr. Shepherd?" Ellis inquired.

As Derek began to recite all the information he had collected so far on the girl's condition, Meredith shrank even further into her seat, desperate to avoid her mother's notice so as to be allowed to remain with the girl a while longer.

"Meredith." Ellis suddenly snapped. "What are you doing in here? What have I told you about bothering the Doctors whilst they are working? Dr. Shepherd does not want you here interfering with his work, you should go home. I won't be home tonight so don't misbehave and make sure you go to school tomorrow."

Rather than defend her actions, Meredith merely nodded, however Derek was outraged at Ellis' treatment of her daughter.

"Dr. Grey, Meredith wasn't bothering me, in fact I invited her to come and see the girl since I felt it was important for her to see that the girl is now recovering." He explained, struggling to keep control of his temper.

Meredith was looking at Derek, shock and a hint of admiration in her expression. Ellis on the other hand was clearly livid at her intern contradicting her and even trying to admonish her.

"Well, thank you for explaining that Dr. Shepherd." She replied harshly. "But either way Meredith should be heading home. Finish writing up your notes Dr. Shepherd and then complete the rest of my Post-Op charts whilst continuing half-hourly monitoring of the girl."

Having said that, Ellis turned on her heel and left the room without acknowledging Meredith again.

"Sorry about that." Meredith whispered.

"Sorry about what?" Derek asked, confused.

"She's punishing you, for standing up for me." Meredith explained sadly. "You didn't need to do that you know. I'm used to it, you're not."

Derek eyed the petite girl before him, head bowed and shoulders slumped. The treatment of this young girl by her own mother both angered and saddened him. Moving towards Meredith, he knelt before her and placed a finger under her chin, lifting her face to look at him.

"Don't worry about it. She was being unfair to you and that wasn't right. She'll get over it, I'm too good for her to ignore for too long." Derek explained cockily.

Meredith smiled in response, tears still shining in her eyes. Derek smiled again and was relieved as he saw Meredith regaining some of her previous confidence. As he sat there debating whether to ask her about her returning home alone, Meredith smiled again.

"I guess I should head home. I have a test tomorrow and I just need to look over my notes again. When do you think you'll be waking her up?" She asked indicating the unconscious girl.

"Most likely around 4 o'clock tomorrow afternoon." Derek replied.

"Ok, do you mind if I'm there?" She asked hesitantly.

"Sure."

* * *

**Ok, wow second chapter. Hope it lives up to expectations. Next chapter will have Tempe awake I promise. Review please. A xxxxx  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Still not mine, darn.**

* * *

For Meredith, the next day seemed to be endless, as she anxiously waited for the time when she could return to the hospital and the girl. When the last bell of the day sounded, Meredith left the room at a run, heading for the bus stop which would take her back to the hospital.

As the bus finally drew up at the hospital entrance, Meredith breathed a sigh of relief and began walking straight to the girl's room. As she was walking towards it, Meredith kept an eye out for both her mother and Derek but seeing neither she stepped inside the girl's room. Upon entering she noticed that although the girl remained unconscious, her vitals appeared to have stabilised and even improved. For once she was glad that she had been watching her mother's surgical tapes and spending time in hospitals since her early childhood since it allowed her to understand the instruments much more easily. Smiling, she sat down in the chair she had occupied the previous evening, took out her assignments and was soon engrossed in her work.

* * *

Derek stood just outside the door, silently watching Meredith work. The young girl had an air about her which intrigued Derek, even as he tried to maintain a professional distance from his boss' daughter. Taking a deep breath, Derek quietly entered the room and began taking the girl's vitals, pleased at her obvious improvement. As he finished his work he noticed that Meredith had finished her work and was now watching him.

"Hello." He said.

"Hi." She replied, smiling nervously. "She's improving, isn't she?" She said indicating the bed.

"Yes, she is. We should be waking her up soon. How are you? How was your test?" Derek asked.

"I'm fine. My test went well, thanks." She replied, surprised at both his remembrance of this fact regarding her life and at his actual interest in asking about it. She attempted to change the subject in order to hide her surprise and slight embarrassment. "Have you seen my Mom at all? I know she didn't come home before I left for school this morning." Meredith explained.

Derek paused before he answered, Meredith's simple statement and actions saying far more to him than she probably realised.

"No, I haven't seen her. She's not on the board today so maybe it's her day off?"

"I guess." She hesitated, quickly pushing aside the usual hurt she felt when her mother acted in such a careless and inconsiderate manner.

"So when are you going to wake her up?" Meredith asked, again quickly changing the subject.

"As soon as the attending checks her chart and the anaesthesiologist arrives, we'll begin bringing her around." Derek answered, smoothly following her change of topic.

"Great. Is it still ok for me to be here?" She asked again.

"Sure. As long as you stay out of the way there's no reason for you not be here with her."

* * *

The darkness that had been surrounding her was lifting and Tempe began to be aware of voices around her. Inwardly she flinched as she heard at least one male voice breaking through the haze but upon hearing a girl's voice she was encouraged to keep fighting against unconsciousness, HE never went for her when there were others around.

The voices were becoming more distinct and she realised that HE wasn't there; this voice was far gentler with a slight twang to his accent which she found soothing, unlike HIS harsh voice.

As she began to open her eyes wider, the bright light of the room stung them and she immediately screwed them shut. Cautiously she tried again, this time she was able to open them fully. As the room came into focus she saw a figure at the end of the bed and she was also aware of someone sitting next to her. Turning her head in that direction, she groaned as a pain shot through her head.

"Hey take it easy, I don't want you to pull out any of your stitches." Having said that the figure at the end of the bed moved towards her but as he tried to check whatever was wrapped around her head, Tempe flinched, moving away from his hand.

"It's alright, don't worry, Dr. Shepherd is just trying to check your stitches." A gentle female voice explained. As she was trying to calm her reaction to the Doctor, a female face came into view.

"Hi, I'm Meredith Grey. Don't worry you're safe," she repeated. "Everything is going to be fine. Dr. Shepherd just has to just check you over but I promise that I will stay with you if you want?" Meredith asked gently.

Tempe looked at the girl who appeared to be a similar age to herself and then around her, and upon realising that she was in a hospital room, Tempe managed to calm herself enough for the Doctor begin his work.

The Doctor leaned in again and smiling reassuringly he spoke,

"Hey there, I'm Dr. Shepherd. Now I just have to check your stitches and then I have to ask you a few questions, is that ok?" Derek asked, keeping his voice gentle and soothing, so as to not spook the girl any further.

Tempe looked at the handsome young doctor and then again at Meredith, before nodding slowly.

Gently, Derek began checking the stitches and bandages which adorned the girl's face, before noting it down on her chart.

"Ok then, now that that stuff's all done, I just need to ask you a few questions. Just before we start are you experiencing any pain?"

"A little, my head and arm are aching." Tempe said her mouth dry.

Noticing the rasping nature of the girl's voice, Meredith quickly poured her a glass of water and helped her take a small sip.

"Thanks," Tempe said, smiling weakly.

Derek nodded towards Meredith and then continued talking to the girl.

"Ok, if the pain gets any worse we can increase your pain meds though for now I'd prefer to keep them at these levels. Is that ok with you?" Derek asked.

Tempe nodded and Derek continued.

"Ok, I'm not sure what you remember about how you came to be here, so I'll just tell you what we know. Meredith found you lying outside the hospital, you were injured and we had to perform surgery. You had no I.D on you and we don't know how you came to be in front of the hospital. So can you tell me your name and anything else you remember?" Derek asked.

"My name is Temperance Brennan. I'm a foster child but I'm eighteen in two weeks after which I will be going to University." Tempe hesitated and Meredith and Derek shared a concerned look about Temperance's response, and then Meredith spoke.

"That'll do for now, won't it Dr. Shepherd?"

"Yes, of course." He answered before being interrupted by his pager beeping. "Right I'm being paged to the pit, Meredith can you make sure Miss Brennan is comfortable and I'll be back later to check up on both of you." Derek smiled again and then he turned and left the room.

Meredith watched him leave before returning her gaze to Temperance. Tempe smirked weakly at Meredith, who blushed slightly.

"Hey, I dare you to say that that wasn't a nice view?" Meredith retorted, annoyed that she was now blushing.

Tempe giggled softly but didn't try and argue with Meredith since she was also now giggling. Suddenly she stopped laughing and looked at Tempe.

"You don't mind me being here do you? I mean I found you out there and I just wanted to make sure you were ok, so I asked Derek if I could stay here and he said yes so I came back today so I could be with you when you woke up and now I realise that maybe you might not want me here or you might want someone else...and I just realised that I haven't even asked you if you want me to call someone, so do you?" Meredith paused, looking expectantly at Tempe who was wearing the same expression which Derek had worn the previous day.

Realising that Meredith was waiting for a response to something she had obviously asked, Tempe attempted to replay the previous speech through her head but failing to work out where the question was, she stared at Meredith and said,

"No."

"No what?" Meredith asked confusedly. "No you don't mind me being here? Or no you don't want me here?"

Tempe smiled at the rambling girl.

"No I don't mind you being here. I don't really have anyone so I appreciate you being here." She hesitated. "Maybe you'd like to call me Tempe? That's what my brother used to call me."

Meredith smiled genuinely, her face lighting up happily.

"Yeah Tempe, I'd like that, you can call me Meredith or Mer if you want."

"I'd like that too, Meredith."

* * *

**Ok here we go chapter 3. Sorry about the wait, I did Race For Life this weekend which for anyone who doesn't know is a sponsored run (or in my case walk!) to raise money for cancer. Anyway went to Scotland to do that and only got back late last night and was too exhausted to write up the chapter till today. But it's done now. Also wanted to say thanks for the lovely reviews, I'm glad people are liking this. Anyway, enjoy and review. A xxxxxx  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: If they were mine I wouldn't spend half my time yelling at the TV screen now would I?**

* * *

The next few days passed with Meredith spending all of her free time at the hospital with Tempe. Tempe was slowly recovering from her injuries, however she still refused to speak about what had happened to her and avoided speaking about her time in the system. Even so, Meredith and Tempe were beginning to confide more in each other.

On the third day after Tempe had woken up, Meredith was sitting in the hospital room as usual, telling Tempe about her day at school.

"So there I am trying to explain to my teacher how I managed to burn the peas that I had been trying to boil and all I can come up with is 'I'm sorry sir I got distracted.' So he turns to me and says 'And what held your attention for so long that the water boiled away completely and the peas burnt to a crisp?' So I just said, 'Well I was just so fascinated by this recipe of how to make a chocolate soufflé that I found in this cookbook that I just forgot about the peas until it was too late.'" Both girls laughed as Meredith finished her story.

Suddenly Tempe yawned and Meredith smiled kindly, used to this occurrence as Tempe's recovery continued to exhaust her physically.

"Hey you're tired, why don't I go get something for us to eat and you take a nap?"

Tempe nodded and sliding back down the bed, she closed her eyes and was almost immediately asleep.

Slipping out into the corridor, Meredith headed downstairs in search of something to eat. Having found something edible in the hospital cafeteria, she returned to Tempe's room. As she was walking back, Meredith spotted Derek and her mother talking by the Nurses' station. Smiling slightly, she began walking over to where they were standing; although she hung back waiting until her mother had left. As she stood there waiting, Meredith idly listened to the conversation between the two Doctors.

"So have you managed to get in contact with the girl's foster family?" Ellis asked.

"Yes I have. The father claims that she ran away a couple of weeks ago and that they haven't seen her since. He also said that they don't want her back because she was a bad influence on the other kids." Derek explained. Meredith put her hand over her mouth so as to stifle her gasp. She couldn't believe that this man could describe Tempe in such a poor light. Derek however had not finished.

"I'm not convinced though."

"And why not, Dr. Shepherd?" Ellis asked unsympathetically. "It makes sense, she was on the streets and got into a fight, she managed to drag herself to the hospital and that's where Meredith found her. She's a foster kid that's normal behaviour for them."

"It still doesn't fit though, I mean what about the older injuries and..."

"That's enough Dr. Shepherd. Just ring social services and find out what we need to do with her once she's recovered enough to leave." Ellis finished coldly, once again angered by her intern's disagreement with her opinion. And with that she turned and stalked off, not noticing Meredith who was now in tears, leaning against the wall for support.

Derek also looked angry, though for different reasons. Sighing angrily he turned and asked the nurse to find him the number for social services in Boston, and then asked her to page him when she did.

Meredith took a deep breath and slowing her tears, she once again walked towards Tempe's room.

* * *

"_Don't think you're going to get away from me that easy foster brat! I'll be back!"_

* * *

Tempe leapt awake, the voice from her nightmares still trying to stalk her in her waking moments.

"Hey Tempe, you ok?" Meredith's voice pierced her terror and soon she saw her face in front of her. "Bad dream?" Tempe nodded. "You wanna talk about it?"

Tempe shook her head and turned her head away, closing her eyes and trying to block out the flood of memories which threatened to overwhelm her.

"Yeah well, I think you should and you better soon or he's going to get away with it." Meredith spoke forcefully.

"Oh yeah, and how would you know about that? Maybe I'm just a stupid foster kid who deserves what she got?" Tempe replied furiously.

"I know that it was probably your foster father who did this to you. And you want to know how I know this? You moan in your sleep Tempe, you keep begging him not to hurt you. Plus Derek rang your foster family and he said something was off about that man. So yeah I think I know what's going on and no-one deserves that." Meredith finished vehemently, moving to look Tempe straight in the eye.

"Yeah well even if that is true who's going to believe me? They never believe us." Tempe whispered miserably.

"Well this time you have me, medical records and doctors on your side, trust me they'll have no choice but to believe you." Meredith stated firmly. "Please, Tempe, please will you trust me?"

Tempe nodded and Meredith drew her into a tight, comforting hug.

* * *

"Derek." Meredith called to the dark figure stalking down one of the halls of the basement of the hospital.

"Meredith?" He asked, surprised at her sudden appearance in his hiding spot.

"Yeah who'd you think it was?" Meredith mocked.

"Well...er...I mean..." Derek stuttered and Meredith giggled before sobering and looking at him seriously.

"What's wrong?" Derek asked concerned.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Meredith asked cautiously.

Derek immediately nodded and gestured to one of the beds, which lined the sides of the corridors. Sitting down, he indicated to Meredith to follow his example and waited for her to start talking.

"I wanted to ask you about Tempe. I think it was her foster father who attacked her." Meredith said.

"And why do you think that?" Derek asked gently.

"Well in addition to her present injuries, she has signs of old ones," and as Derek raised an eyebrow in surprise at her knowledge of Temperance's injuries, Meredith said, "Yeah so I listened to you when you were rounding and talking to my Mom, are you really that surprised? Anyway so that obviously shows signs of abuse and then there's the fact that she still flinches away from you and any other male doctor or nurse in the hospital, which again is consistent with regular and long-term abuse. And thirdly you said yourself that something was off with her foster father and now that she's in the hospital and recovering he's making up lies about her, and trying to make sure he's no longer connected to her. It all points to him as her abuser, plus Tempe didn't deny it when I told her she couldn't let him get away with it."

Derek looked at her thoughtfully. "I agree. Oh and by the way we definitely need to do something about your eavesdropping and maybe get you a puppy so you don't spend so much time here." Meredith chuckled and Derek smiled, enjoying the way her face lit up when she laughed.

"So what do we do now?" Meredith asked.

"Well we should really wait a few days to give Tempe a chance to recover a little bit more but I think the sooner we get the police and social services involved the better." He paused. "Just so you know if you keep encouraging me to go against your Mom, I'm so going to get fired."

"Nah you're too good. Mom only tortures the ones she thinks can go the distance; she thinks it toughens you up." Meredith explained and then groaned as she saw the arrogant smirk light up Derek's face. "Oh great I just made your ego even bigger." She sighed dramatically.

"So I'm going to get in contact with the police and social services and you can make sure that Tempe is ready when they come to talk to her. And also I want you to stay with her during that time if you can?" Derek asked.

"Yeah I'll make sure I'm here for her. But Derek what's going to happen when she's recovered enough to leave? What is she going to do then?" Meredith asked anxiously.

"I don't really know Meredith. If she's eighteen by then, then she'll be out of the system and on her own. But look we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I promise." Derek took her hand and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Now why don't we go and get some chocolate and then see how Tempe's doing."

"That's sounds great. Maybe we can get some ice-cream too?"

"Even better."

* * *

**Ok chapter 4. By the way the incident with the peas happened to my friend, couldn't stop laughing when she told me about it. Hope people are still enjoying this, read and review. A xxxxx  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: In the immortal words of Phoebe Buffay: Not Not Mine, Not Not Mine. **

* * *

Tempe sighed; she was lying in her hospital bed, trying to focus her attention on what was on the TV whilst she waited for Meredith to arrive, and she was bored. In the last few days the pain which she had been experiencing, had lessened considerably, although the Doctors had explained that she still had a long recovery period ahead of her. Unfortunately for Tempe, as her pain lessened and she gained some of her energy back, she was even more desperate to get out of her hospital room. She knew that Meredith was doing her best to try and keep her occupied and entertained but during the long hours of the day when Meredith was at school, Tempe struggled with the boredom.

Tempe was now also dealing with the after effects of her interview with both the police and social worker, which had taken place the day before. Although Meredith and Dr. Shepherd had remained throughout the entirety of the interview, Tempe had still struggled with her feelings of isolation. The police officers had been quite kind and considerate throughout the interview, possibly sensing that neither Meredith nor Derek would allow her injuries and treatment at the hands of her foster father to be dismissed. The Social Worker had said very little but had smiled kindly at Tempe as they had all left.

Tempe sighed again as she remembered the previous day. Although she had felt relieved by speaking with them, Tempe now worried about what would happen next. She was scared that her foster father would come after her, even though he had told Dr. Shepherd that he no longer wanted anything to do with her. Shaking off the feeling of panic which was threatening to overwhelm her, Tempe again looked around her hospital room. She needed to get out of there.

* * *

Seeley Booth groaned in frustration as he stormed down one of the corridors of the hospital. Trust his dumb-ass brother to crash his motorcycle on the first weekend after he came home from his assignment overseas. Now instead of relaxing, he was stuck driving back and forth from the hospital till his brother was allowed to come home.

Hurtling round the corner, Seeley hit something warm and solid and although he immediately reached out to try and catch the person before they hit the floor. A soft cry let him know that he'd missed.

"Oh god I'm so sorry. Here let me help you up." Seeley reached down to try and help the young girl he'd knocked over, up.

Tempe looked up at the sound of the voice but flinched, moving away from the hand she saw coming towards her.

"I'm fine. I just need a minute. You can go thanks." Tempe said, her voice weak from pain, avoiding looking at the man who was kneeling down next to her.

Seeley withdrew his hand slowly and looked down at the young, pale girl. She was covered in bandages and her face was black and blue. Worried he examined her closer. Her face was getting steadily paler and she still looked at him with fear in her icy blue eyes.

"Hey, it's ok. I'm not going to hurt you, just let me help you get up, ok? Just one step at a time, kay?" Seeley whispered gently.

Tempe lifted her eyes, icy blue meeting chocolate brown. After a brief moment, Tempe nodded and Seeley again raised his hand, keeping his movements slow and gentle so as to not spook the girl again. Taking her hand in his, he squeezed it reassuringly.

"Ok on three." He paused. "One...two...three." Gently he pulled her to her feet, steadying her as she carefully balanced her weight, trying to limit the amount that she put on the leg which was still encased in plaster. Now that she was standing, Seeley could see that her injuries were even worse than he had originally thought. Helping her to lean against the wall, Seeley spoke again.

"Ok, just stand here a minute, I'll be right back." And with that he raced off, making sure to be more careful this time. After a few minutes, he returned pushing a wheelchair in front of him. Coming up behind her, he carefully guided her down into it, making sure she was comfortable.

"Right, let's get you back to your room." He smiled kindly.

"No!" Tempe shouted, startling Seeley with her determination. "Please, I just want to go outside. Just for a little while." Again icy blue eyes locked with his chocolate brown ones, pleading with him to do as she asked. Seeing her desperation, Seeley felt his resolve melt and he nodded.

"Ok, I'll take you outside." He said simply.

* * *

Tempe smiled happily, her eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her face and the wind blowing through her hair.

Seeley smiled, watching the sheer contentment which now covered the girl's face. Since they had stepped outside, she hadn't spoken a word but he had felt her relax almost immediately.

Eventually Tempe opened her eyes and focussed on the man who had brought her outside, feeling for some inexplicable reason that she could trust him.

Noticing that the girl was now looking up at him, he smiled again at her.

"Hi there, feeling better?" Tempe nodded. "I'm Seeley Booth. What's your name?"

Tempe eyed him carefully and then deciding to follow her instinct to trust him, she replied,

"I'm Temperance Brennan."

"That's a pretty name, my brother would normally say 'a pretty name for a pretty girl' but lucky for you, I don't use such cheesy lines. Although it is true." Seeley smiled charmingly and Tempe's disbelieving expression, lessened slightly as she blushed prettily.

* * *

An hour later saw Tempe and Seeley moving cautiously through the halls, since Tempe had just realised moments before that Meredith would have finished school by now, and that she would have also been missed by the nurses, who came to check on her vitals at least once every hour. Upon realising this, she had told Seeley and they had decided to get back to her room as quickly and as quietly as possible. They were nearing Tempe's room when a voice suddenly shouted,

"Where have you been? I came in and you weren't there and I asked the nurses and they said you had been missing for at least half an hour and that they had been looking for you everywhere and they couldn't find you. And you're supposed to be in bed so that you can recover and... who is this?" Meredith's rambling came to an abrupt halt as she noticed Seeley standing behind Tempe's wheelchair, wearing a nervous smile on his face.

"Oh," Tempe said, "This is Seeley, er... he was looking after me."

"Oh really? Well you're just lucky that she looks ok, mister, because it was stupid of you to let her go wandering round the hospital..."

"Wandering? Mer, I was in wheelchair and Seeley was a perfect gentleman and he wanted to bring me back earlier but I begged him to take me outside for a little while." She paused and looked beseechingly at Meredith. "I was just so desperate for a change of scenery. I'm sorry Mer. Forgive me?"

Meredith rolled her eyes good-naturedly at Tempe's apology before answering,

"Of course I do, silly." She then drew her into a gentle hug. "Just please don't go off on your own and make sure you tell someone if you're planning on escaping anytime soon, so someone can either be with you or at least be able to check on you."

She then turned to Seeley who had been standing behind Tempe, his stance showing his desire to protect Tempe.

"Thank you Seeley." He looked at her quizzically. "For taking care of her. She may not admit it but she needs it sometimes and I'm grateful to you for making sure she was kept safe." Meredith finished, ignoring Tempe's scowl at Meredith's suggestion that she ever needed anybody.

"It was my pleasure." He replied before moving round to look at Tempe, face-to-face. "I enjoyed this afternoon Temperance, maybe I could come visit you whilst you're staying here, take you outside again?"

"I'd like that Seeley." Tempe answered, smiling a little before Meredith grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and pushed her into her room. "Bye."

"Bye." Seeley replied, quietly.

* * *

Once inside, Meredith helped Tempe back onto the bed and called a nurse to help her re-attach Tempe's IV lines and blood pressure gage. Once Tempe was lying back on her bed, Meredith sat down in her usual chair and eyed Tempe curiously. Tempe simply stared back, refusing to speak.

"Alright, spill." Meredith said.

"Spill what?" Tempe asked confusedly.

"Seriously?" She looked at Tempe's expression. "Oh ok. I meant are you going to tell me about that gorgeous man you were with?"

Tempe blushed again. "There's nothing to tell Mer. He just stayed with me whilst I was outside and then came back with me. That's all."

"Oh really? Well that blush of yours tells me that there is definitely more to your story." Meredith explained, giggling as Tempe's blush deepened. "So you're trying to tell me that you didn't notice how handsome he was or how much he looked at you?"

"Well maybe I noticed him but why would he have looked at me, especially the way I look right now?" Tempe asked sadly. "He probably only stayed with me because he felt sorry for me."

Meredith looked at her friend sympathetically; now that Seeley was gone and his presence no longer there to reassure her, she looked more broken than ever.

"Hey, you may be bruised and injured now, but you're beautiful Temperance Brennan and any fool can see that. Trust me Seeley knew exactly what he was seeing. He'll be back, I can guarantee it."

"Oh yeah?" Tempe asked sarcastically.

"Yeah. In fact if he isn't back to visit you within a few days, I'll eat Chinese food." Meredith grimaced and Tempe chuckled well aware of Meredith's dislike of Chinese food.

* * *

It had been a few days earlier. Meredith had been sitting with Tempe as usual when Derek entered carrying bags of takeout. Both girls had perked up, equally fed up of hospital food. However as Derek had started unpacking the food, Meredith pouted and noticing this, Tempe had asked her what was wrong.

"I don't like Chinese food." Meredith had explained, whining slightly.

"I guess it's a good thing I brought some Italian food too." Derek had said interrupting the girls, smiling cheekily.

Meredith had blushed but smiled sweetly at Derek.

* * *

Luckily for Meredith she was proved correct, when the following day Seeley entered her room nervously, carrying a bouquet of daffodils and another of sunflowers.

"Hi." Seeley said.

"Hi." Tempe replied, surprised that Seeley had come to visit.

"Here I brought you these." He said thrusting the flowers towards her. "My Mom likes daffodils and I always think that sunflowers look so happy." Seeley smiled and looked around for a vase.

"Thank you." Tempe smiled sincerely. "Actually daffodils are my favourite flower and these sunflowers look beautiful too." She said, reaching out for the flowers and sniffing them when he handed them to her. She also called for a nurse, in order to ask for vases for the flowers.

"So how are you feeling today? Less caged in?" Seeley asked.

"Better thanks and yeah I do. Thank you for taking me outside, I know you thought it was a bad idea but I really needed it." Tempe smiling sheepishly.

"It's alright; I could see that you needed it." Seeley replied. At this both fell silent. Seeley observed the girl silently, resisting the temptation to ask about how she been injured. He suspected that she had been attacked, having seen similar injuries on people during his time in the army. Instead he decided to stick to safer areas.

"So yesterday you were telling me about where you grew up?" He began and the two slipped into comfortable conversation.

* * *

**Woo fifth chapter is up. Don't you just love it when Booth is all sweet and wonderful? Thank you guys for all the reviews, please keep them coming, I'm getting a slight addiction to them I think. Lol. OK, enjoy and review. A xxxxxx  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**OK sorry about the delay, got distracted by another fic which I know is a bad excuse but eh what can I say. Anyway here it is. **

**Disclaimer: Still don't own, so still don't sue. **

* * *

Seeley was walking along the corridor, smiling as he thought about visiting Temperance again. The vulnerability that poured from the girl had awakened in Seeley the strong urge to protect her from everything, and in following that urge he had also discovered a wonderful person whom he was enjoying getting to know better. There was only one cloud on his horizon now and that was the fact that he knew she was healing and would soon be leaving the hospital. Quickly suppressing that feeling of despair at possibly no longer being able to see her, he continued walking towards her room.

However as he came nearer, he heard whimpers and small screams coming from inside her room. Immediately he quickened his pace and entered the room almost at a run. Sliding to halt, his eyes focussed on the bed where Tempe lay, tossing and turning as she fought invisible monsters that were stalking her in her dreams. Straightaway he moved to the side of her bed and took her hand in his, the other moving to stroke the damp hair away from her pale forehead.

"Tempe, Tempe, come on, wake up, you're just having a nightmare, come on wake up." He repeated, stroking her forehead gently and squeezing her hand.

Slowly her murmurings began to lessen and she settled against the pillows again before slowly opening her eyes, the icy blue depths full of fear as they darted about the room obviously searching for someone.

"It's ok, Tempe, everything's fine. Hi there." He said as her eyes finally settled on him, continuing to stroke her head. "Nightmare?" Tempe nodded. "Come here then." And tenderly he took her into his arms, rubbing her back soothingly.

Tempe went into his arms willingly, tears beginning to fall down her face as she wrapped her own arms round him, seeking and accepting the comfort which he offered.

"Tempe," Seeley pulled back from the embrace looking down into her eyes which were still shining with tears. "Will you tell me about your nightmares? Please Tempe, they're getting worse, you have to begin dealing with whatever happened to you or you'll never be able to move on from it. Please, talk to me."

Tempe stared at him, knowing that what he spoke was true but yet fearing to tell him at the same time for fear of driving him away once he knew the truth. But finally something inside her snapped and a fresh bout of tears began to fall. Again he wrapped her tightly in his arms, whispering words of comfort that gradually began to heal the wounds that had cut across her spirit.

Eventually her tears slowed and she leaned back, though she kept their hands entwined, taking strength from the connection. Then she began to speak.

She told him of how her parents had disappeared when she was 15 and her brother had also abandoned her. She spoke of the many foster families that had taken her in, how she had never been able to connect with these families and had then been sent away. Her sense of worth and self lessening each time she was sent away.

Finally she spoke of coming to her latest foster family. How she had originally been happy with them since they had treated her well and left her alone when it was obvious that she was more comfortable that way. But then one night her foster father had come home drunk, something she had later found out was a regular occurrence. Originally he had gone for one of the children who had been there longer than Tempe, but when she had stuck up for the younger child he had immediately turned on her. Soon her beatings became as regular as his drinking as he focused all his anger and hatred on her. During these beatings he would also torment her, belittling her and mocking her status as a foster child.

"That was always far harder to deal with than the beatings. The injuries always healed, but the things he said. He told me I deserved the beatings for using up his hard earned money and for being a stupid girl. He said I would never amount to anything and that that was why my parents had abandoned me." She sobbed.

Seeley fought against the anger which was threatening to consume him and instead tightened his arms around her and whispered into her ear,

"It is definitely not true Temperance Brennan. You are a far better person than that man could ever be. I mean you're intelligent and beautiful and the only reason he went after you is because you had the courage to stand up for someone smaller than yourself and I find that amazing." He paused and placing a finger beneath her chin he lifted her face up until she looked into his eyes. "And for the record I may not know why your parents left you but I can guarantee you that it wasn't because of anything to do with you." He smiled brilliantly and Tempe returned it, trusting what he said completely and finding comfort in his gaze as it reassured her that he wasn't going anywhere.

"So do you want to tell me about the night that you were brought in?" Seeley asked quietly.

"He was drunk, as usual, but he was angrier than I'd ever seen him before. I don't think I've ever been so scared before, Seeley, I thought he was going to kill me and he really tried to. He just wouldn't stop and then suddenly he did. I was barely conscious and I think he must have thought that I was dead. He bundled me in an old coat of his, god the smell, I wanted it off me but I couldn't move and I couldn't get it off. Then he just grabbed me and carried me outside, I don't know what he was going to do with me but then I groaned, and I guess he must have heard me because he drove us here, threw me out and left me. If Meredith hadn't found me..." She stopped.

"Yeah well I did, so it's ok Tempe. You're ok and he'll never be able to hurt you again, I promise." Meredith's voice came from the doorway. Tears were sliding down her face but she smiled bravely and moved towards them. "Anyway you've got me, Derek and Seeley now."

"Yep you do. And that monster will get what's coming to him." Seeley replied, his anger towards her foster father seeping into his voice.

An uncomfortable silence settled on the room as each individual dealt with everything that had been said. Finally Meredith broke the silence.

"Anyway I've got some good news. Mom has decided to let you come and stay with us once you're discharged. Don't know why; don't really care but either way you've got somewhere to stay that's out of the system and far away from HIM. Plus Derek told me that he got a phone call about HIM, he's being arrested. Other foster kids have come forward apparently, I don't know all the details but he's going down." She smiled and looked at Tempe, who was now looking slightly bemused. "You're free Tempe; you're finally free of him."

"Free... Free." Tempe spoke the words slowly almost like she was testing them on her tongue to try and understand the meaning.

"Maybe it'll feel more real once you've had a chance to let it sink in." Seeley said soothingly.

"Yeah maybe." Tempe muttered, her tone showing that she wasn't convinced about that just yet.

* * *

"You know, I don't need a wheelchair anymore, I am perfectly capable of walking to the car without anybody helping me." Tempe spoke decisively, her face screwed up in a pout.

"Its hospital policy, Tempe, whether you think you can walk or not. Now stop whining and let Seeley push you out before they're convinced you need to stay a little longer." Meredith said, suppressing a smirk as she saw Tempe's immediate reaction to her threat.

Seeley who was currently pushing Tempe's wheelchair also smirked, but along with Meredith he didn't comment on Tempe's quick change in attitude but instead continued pushing her towards the hospital exit.

"Alright here we go." Seeley said as they came to a stop just next to the curb, where a jeep was currently parked. "Up we go." And placing his hands under Tempe's arms he carefully lifted her up, chuckling as her face came level with his. "Now, now there's no need for such a glare young lady, I was just being a gentlemen, helping you out of your seat."

"Yeah well, next time don't be so patronising, Booth!" Tempe snapped, annoyed at her own helplessness.

"Ooh the surname, I'd watch out Seeley, she's mad at you." Meredith chuckled, happily watching her two friends bickering, glad at the relationship that she saw developing between the two. She could see how much Seeley cared about Tempe, even if he couldn't, his every gesture and action towards her confirming it, and everyday she was able to see more of Tempe's walls coming down, as her trust in this man increased.

"You know the nurses have a pool going for when those two are going to get together." Derek's voice murmured in her ear.

"I know. I also know that your bet is down for two months, I was a little bit more realistic, and put it down for at least three." Meredith answered, now chuckling as she watched Tempe punch Seeley, as he settled her gently and securely into the passenger's seat of the jeep. Turning she looked up into Derek's deep blue eyes. "Er...I better go and you know drive her home so that she can, you know rest and... yeah so going." She stuttered nervously.

"Yeah, so maybe I'll see you again soon?" Derek asked. "I mean I know Tempe's been discharged but maybe we could do something, go out for a coffee or something?" Derek asked, smiling nervously.

"Yeah I'd like that." Meredith replied, smiling brilliantly.

* * *

**Ok chapter 6. Again sorry bout the wait but that Doctor Who finale was just begging for a bit of fanfiction to be written lol. Also this chapter was a bit more difficult to write but happier stuff is coming. By the way I'm trying to work out Derek's age but I'm not positive how old he would be if he was a first year intern in America cos I think it's a little different here, so if anyone can give me an idea would be much appreciated. Ta. Anyway hope you guys are still with me after yet another long note and are still enjoying this fic. Thanks for all the lovely reviews so far. Read, enjoy and review please. A xxxxxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry guys this was supposed to be up last night but my stupid laptop decided to delete a load of my files so this chapter had to be re-written. Ah well it's here now. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: still not mine, maybe for a graduation present?**

* * *

Derek and Seeley stood on the pavement in front of the hospital, watching as the jeep carrying Meredith and Tempe drove away. Both men sighed heavily before turning back towards the hospital entrance. As they began walking back, Derek turned to Seeley.

"So you like her?" He asked bluntly.

"Yup." Seeley answered. "You too?"

"Yup." Derek answered, sighing again. "Guess I'll be seeing you soon then." He said, clapping him on the shoulder before heading inside.

Seeley smiled and looking in the direction of where the jeep had gone, he smiled softly and then headed towards his car, his thoughts dwelling on Tempe's shy smile when he had helped her, even as she had continued to complain. His laughter could still be heard as he disappeared round the corner.

* * *

Meredith was smiling to herself as she drove the car carefully towards her mother's home, basking in the glow she had been feeling since she had spoken to Derek. Glancing over towards Tempe, she at first thought that she was also smiling, but when she looked again she realised that she was instead grimacing and her eyes appeared to be darting anxiously around the car, giving the impression that she was desperately looking for a way out. She lifted one of her hands and gently placed it on Tempe's arm, keeping it there even when she jumped slightly at the touch.

"Hey, relax. Are you alright? Is the pain getting worse?" Meredith asked leaving out part of her question, since she knew that Tempe avoided speaking about the reactions and memories which she was still dealing with in the aftermath of the beatings and abuse she had endured at the hands of her foster father.

Blinking slowly, Tempe turned her head towards Meredith.

"I'm fine; don't worry about me, I think the painkillers are wearing off that's all." Tempe replied, her voice wavering slightly, trying to stop her eyes darting about the car.

"OK. Do you want to stop and get out for a bit?" Meredith asked.

Tempe quickly shook her head. "No. I'll be fine, can we just keep going, please."

"Ok. We'll be there soon anyway." She paused. "You know you're starting to sound like me with all this 'fine' stuff." She said, trying to distract Tempe and help her focus on something other than her pain and memories.

It seemed to work as Tempe smiled weakly. "Yeah well, maybe you'll start to sound as clever as me, well eventually perhaps." She teased.

"Oh yeah? Well I guess there could be worse things I could pick up from you." Meredith replied, chuckling, causing Tempe to smile again in return.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity to Tempe, but was in reality only about 10 minutes, Meredith pulled the Jeep into a driveway in front of a large townhouse.

Tempe breathed a sigh of relief. She had not been lying to Meredith; she did think her painkillers were wearing off as her pain was increasing but she was also struggling with being in a car again as memories of her experience once again began to overwhelm her. She breathed deeply and desperately pushed back the memories.

"Right then. Welcome to my mom's idea of the perfect surgeon's home; large, expensive and cold." Meredith said sarcastically, gesturing half-heartedly in the direction of the house. She then jumped out of the car and walked round to help Tempe out of the car.

It was proof of Tempe's pain and exhaustion that she did not protest at being helped out of the car. Helping her to balance on her crutches, Meredith then grabbed her bag and together they walked slowly towards the front door.

Once inside, Meredith led her to the nearest sofa and Tempe lay down, her eyes closing almost immediately. Having ensured that she was comfortable, Meredith quickly walked into the kitchen, grabbing the bag she had dropped near the door, on her way there.

Placing the bag on the kitchen counter she took out the bag that Derek had given her containing Tempe's medications. Finding the containers which held Tempe's painkillers and sleeping tablets, she drew them out and placed them on the counter. Then pouring a glass of water, she gathered them all up and carried them back to where Tempe lay. However upon entering the room she saw that Tempe was now sleeping contentedly, her face pale but untroubled. Quietly she placed the pills and the water on the table near her and then went upstairs to finish organising the room which would be Tempe's from now on.

* * *

It was the rumbling of her stomach which finally woke her a few hours later. Carefully stretching, she opened her eyes and scanning the room, she saw Meredith curled up in a chair next to the fireplace, reading what seemed to be a medical text of some sort.

Hearing Tempe shifting, Meredith looked up and smiled when she saw that she was now awake. Marking her page, she closed the book and placed it on the table next to her before standing up and moving across the room to her.

"Hey, feeling any better? How's the pain now?" She asked gently.

"Yeah I am thanks. The pain's not too bad now but I am really hungry." Tempe replied.

"Pizza then?"

"Yeah that sounds good."

* * *

Ellis let herself into the house later that evening, yawning and feeling the aches which came from spending long hours in surgery. Looking around the large hall, Ellis noticed that a light was still on in the front sitting room and believing that Meredith must have left it on again she went to turn it off.

However upon entering the room, she saw that it wasn't empty. Instead she saw Meredith curled up on one end of the sofa, and Temperance lying along the rest of it. Empty Pizza boxes lay scattered on the table, along with some bottles of pills, obviously for Temperance's use. Both girls were asleep, oblivious both to her presence and the images that were still flickering on the TV screen. In a rare moment, Ellis felt something flicker through her, a feeling of affection and pride towards her daughter, who was so dedicated to looking after this girl.

She smiled slightly, she wished she could leave them there, since they looked so peaceful, but knowing Temperance's injuries as she did, she knew that she must wake them and send them to their own beds.

"Meredith... Meredith. You need to wake up, come on." Ellis spoke softly, in a voice so unlike her usual harsh tones.

Slowly Meredith opened her eyes, feeling her neck cramp as she shifted it back from the awkward position it had been held in till now. Focussing her gaze, she encountered the grey eyes of her mother. She shifted, surprised by the warmth in her mother's gaze.

"Hey Mom, what's up?" She asked, keeping her voice low so as not to wake Tempe.

"You need to take Temperance upstairs, Meredith. She needs to be sleeping on a proper bed not our old couch." Ellis explained.

"Oh right, yeah I forgot. We were watching some videos and I guess we just nodded off. I'll wake her now." Meredith said, before leaning over and gently shaking Tempe.

"Hmm what's wrong? I can't be late for school it's still dark out." Tempe said sleepily, her eyes still closed.

Meredith and Ellis chuckled.

"Tempe it's not time for school, you just need to wake up enough to go upstairs to bed, ok?" Meredith explained, trying to contain her giggles.

"Oh, ok." Tempe replied, still not fully awake.

Meredith smiled indulgently at her and stood up, also picking up Tempe's crutches.

"Ok. Here we go," she said heaving Tempe up from the sofa and balancing her carefully on the crutches. "Right one step at a time."

Slowly they made their way upstairs, and once there, Meredith led Tempe to her room where she helped her into bed, handed her some more painkillers before leaving her to sleep.

* * *

She was heading towards her own room when her mother's voice stopped her.

"Meredith?"

"Yes?"

"I'm proud of you, you know." On seeing Meredith's confused look, she continued. "For the compassion you've shown towards Temperance, the way you help her, with patience and understanding. It shows a great deal of maturity and kindness, so I just wanted you to know that I'm proud of you." Ellis finished and awkwardly hugged Meredith. Pulling back she cleared her throat, and walked into her own room, calling goodnight as she went.

Meredith was left there, feeling extremely confused yet also pleased by her mother's words. Shrugging at yet another example of her mother's eccentricity, she walked into her room and curled up in her own bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

The next morning, things were back to normal, Meredith woke to find her mother gone, no note and little food in the house for breakfast. Eyeing the empty fridge, Meredith sighed heavily. Tempe was still sleeping and she was debating the idea of whether to try and slip out to get some shopping whilst she was still asleep but was worried that Tempe would wake up and panic when she found that Meredith was gone. Eventually she decided to leave her a note and go out, since there was so little food in the house. Having written it she placed it next to Tempe's pills, which she knew that she would have to take almost as soon as she woke up and so would find it easily. Having done this, she left the house and went in search of breakfast.

* * *

**Ok guys here it is. I know I promised happiness but this is happier! lol. Still I kinda like this chapter and had fun writing it so hope you guys like it too. Once again thanks for the reviews, they're lovely. So as always, read, review. A xxxxxx  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey Guys. Sorry about the wait, had graduation down in Swansea and then I caught a seriously crappy cold and my brain turned to absolute mush. Anyway am feeling better now so let's hope that these chapters are worth the wait. **

**Disclaimer: Still don't own. Graduation has come and gone and I still don't own them. Ah well.**

* * *

When she woke up, she woke up alone, the silence of the house almost deafening. The haze of pain and the unfamiliarity of the room all adding to her sense of unease. Looking towards the bedside table, she immediately noticed her painkillers and a piece of paper bearing her name sitting on it. Carefully sitting up, she reached over and gently picked up the note which had been left for her. Reading what Meredith had left for her, Tempe breathed deeply to calm the feeling of panic which was once again threatening to overwhelm her as she realised she was once again alone. Steadying herself, she breathed again, feeling herself calm down.

Leaning up, she caught sight of herself in the mirror, which was stood opposite the bed. The image of a bruised and broken girl stared back at her and she recoiled slightly. Steeling herself, she again looked at her reflection. She saw the injuries that had been inflicted on her by her foster father, the man who was supposed to have taken care of her and for the first time she was angry. What right had he had to treat her so badly when she had done nothing except need a home and someone to look after her? Staring at her image fiercely, she vowed that this would never again happen to her or any other girl and then nodded her head in a determined manner.

Having made this vow to herself, she began to ease herself out of her bed in order to begin her day. Grabbing her crutches, she carefully leaned her weight onto them and off the leg which still remained in plaster, before moving towards the bedroom door. Hobbling out of her room, she then slowly walked down the hall in search of the bathroom.

On her way back, Tempe groaned in pain, the numbing effect of sleep wearing off as her body woke itself up. Sighing in frustration, she continued walking towards her bedroom, remembering that she had seen her pills standing on the bedside table there.

After what felt like an eternity to Tempe, she reached her room and sighed in relief as she lowered herself back down onto the bed before quickly grabbing her painkillers and the glass of water which had been left there. Gulping a couple of the pills down, she leaned back against the pillows and waited for the numbing feeling of the painkillers to kick in.

As she was laying there, her eyes closed as she fell into a light doze, she heard the front door opening and shutting, and the sounds of someone moving through the house.

"Meredith, is that you?" She called.

"Yeah. I'll just put this stuff away and then I'll be right up." Meredith's voice called back.

Soon after, Meredith appeared at the door and smiled at seeing Tempe awake.

"Hey, you're up. Sleep well?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah I did thanks. Did you manage to get something for breakfast then?" Tempe replied, suddenly realising how hungry she was and blushing when her stomach chose that moment to begin rumbling.

Meredith chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, you want to come downstairs or would madam prefer breakfast in bed?" She said, adding a little bow as she finished speaking.

Tempe laughed. "I think I can manage to come downstairs and eat with the common folk though it may be damaging to my reputation as a lady." As Tempe stopped speaking, she stuck her nose in the air in a haughty manner before both girls burst out laughing.

"Right then your ladyship, why don't you get your royal behind out of bed and dressed and then we can see about some breakfast."

* * *

After breakfast, Meredith was in the kitchen cleaning up and Tempe was once again lying on the couch in the living room, flipping through the channels on the TV, when there was a knock at the door.

"Don't you dare move, Tempe, I'll get the door." Meredith warned.

Tempe rolled her eyes, but stayed still, listening as Meredith walked to the door and opened it. She heard the sounds of muffled voices but didn't attempt to listen to what they were actually saying.

"Hey Tempe you have a visitor." Meredith called and smiled as she saw Tempe's face light up with a beautiful smile as she saw who her visitor was.

Seeley Booth smiled nervously as he walked into the living room, clutching a large bunch of daffodils, his eyes instantly meeting hers.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Meredith smiled indulgently at the scene and chuckling to herself, she walked back towards the kitchen.

"So, I know I only saw you yesterday but I thought I'd come see how you were settling in and I brought you these for your room." Seeley explained, once again looking nervous before thrusting the flowers towards her.

"I'm glad you came." Tempe replied shyly, happily taking the flowers he offered.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well that's good then." He paused. "So what are you watching?" He said indicating the TV before sitting down next to Tempe.

"Oh I just found this fascinating documentary on the cemeteries in Lahun and Saqqara in Egypt. It's fascinating seeing the differences both in modern funerary cultures and also the modern skeletal structure although there are some simliarities..." She trailed off as she noticed Seeley's expression. She had half-expected him to be wearing a bored expression but instead he was wearing a slight smile which instantly made her defensive. Turning her head so as to hide the tears which were threatening to fall, she snapped angrily. "So now you're laughing at me aren't you? Well it's not my fault that I have a high IQ and am actually interested in the cultures and history of the world and if you think that..." She was suddenly cut off as Seeley placed his hand over her mouth, swiftly stopping her angry ranting.

"I wasn't laughing at you; I just think it's wonderful to see you so passionate about something. Since I've met you, you've been like a shadow, almost like I could see the real you but not at the same time, if you follow me?" He chuckled at Tempe's lost expression. "Well anyway my point is I wasn't laughing at you, I was just happy to see you happy."

"Oh well, that's ok then." Tempe smiled happily and Seeley smiled back in response.

* * *

Derek walked aimlessly around the hospital, it had been three days since Tempe had been discharged and he had seen her, three days. During the time when Tempe had been in the hospital, he had gotten used to seeing Meredith everyday and now that that was no longer happening he found that he was missing her more than he had expected to. He sighed, he was definitely in trouble.

Suddenly his pager went off and snapping his thoughts away from Meredith, he sprinted down to the pit.

* * *

**Anyway sorry again about the wait. Enjoy and review please. Thanx. A xxxxx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok so just so you guys know this one is set about a week or so after the end of the last chapter. By the way I know the time-frame is a little bit crazy there so I hope it doesn't confuse anyone too much. ;-  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

* * *

Tempe stared aimlessly at the card which she was currently holding. It was a birthday card from her brother. Every year it was the same, a card and then a phone call on her birthday, then nothing whatsoever until her next birthday.

"Hey, is that card going to attack you or something?" Meredith asked as she came into the kitchen, chuckling slightly as she saw Tempe holding the card almost at arm's reach.

Tempe smiled a little and shook her head. "It's from my brother."

"Oh." Meredith paused. "Well aren't you going to open it?"

"Why should I? It'll just say the same thing as it does every year. It doesn't change anything though, he still abandoned me." Tempe stated coldly, before dropping the card back onto the side and hobbling back out of the kitchen.

Meredith watched her sadly as she left the room, aware of how much Tempe was hurting. She knew, even though Tempe hadn't admitted it, that she had been hoping that her brother would have heard about what had happened to her and come to find her, but so far he hadn't. Leaning over, she picked up the envelope, immediately noticing that it had been sent to her previous foster home and then forwarded on to her, most likely through her social worker since Tempe's new address had been concealed from her previous foster family, for her own protection.

Meredith sighed as she now realised why Tempe was so upset by this most recent card, it suggested that Russ had clearly not been checking up on her recently since he had sent the card to the wrong address.

Meredith sighed again and then followed Tempe out into the living room, where she collapsed down next to her on the couch, leaning against her slightly in a gesture of silent support.

* * *

The next day was Tempe's eighteenth birthday and the girls had decided on a relaxing day of pampering themselves before going out for a meal at one of the restaurants in Boston. What Meredith had not told Tempe was that she had also invited Seeley and Derek to join them, knowing that Tempe would appreciate the familiar and friendly faces at her birthday meal.

They were sat on the sofa in the living room, painting their nails and watching 'When Harry Met Sally', when there was a gentle knock at the door.

Meredith looked at Tempe curiously, knowing that Seeley and Derek weren't due for another few hours and that she wasn't expecting anyone else. Tempe looked back, just as confused.

Getting up, Meredith walked cautiously to the front door. Lifting the curtain, which covered the glass door, Meredith saw a young man in his early twenties stood there, shifting back and forth on his legs in an obviously nervous manner.

"Hello? Can I help you?" Meredith asked politely, having opened the door.

"Er...yes I hope so. My name's Russ Brennan, I was told that my sister, Temperance Brennan was staying here?" The young man explained.

"Oh. Yes she's here. Do you want to come in and I'll just go and see if she's up to visitors." Meredith said, gesturing him inside. Turning to leave she was surprised when she felt him pulling her back.

"Look I know Tempe's probably told you what an awful brother I am but I just need to know, is my little sister ok?" Russ asked, his expression showing his genuine concern and worry for his sister.

Seeing this, Meredith smiled gently and immediately began to try and reassure him of his sister's well-being.

"She's not completely recovered but she's getting better." She paused and wondered about how much she should actually tell him. "Look, her injuries were severe but they are healing so for the most part they do look worse than they actually are now. But what she went through...well anyway she's still dealing with it. So just prepare yourself, ok?"

Russ nodded and then waited in the hall whilst the girl walked into the living room. As he stood there he could hear the girl's voice speaking and then suddenly the angry voice of his sister could be heard. He smiled, no matter what he would always recognise his little sister's voice, especially when she was angry.

Finally he saw the girl stalk out of the living room, carrying a pair of crutches and calling back over the sounds of Tempe's threats and curses,

"And if you try and move without these, Temperance Brennan, then I'll tell Seeley and Derek that you were disobeying doctor's orders." She didn't need to elaborate beyond that since Tempe immediately yelled back.

"You wouldn't?!"

Meredith quickly walked back into the room,

"Try me!" And then she walked back out, smiled at Russ and said, "Good Luck."

Russ gulped and squaring his shoulders, he walked into the room.

* * *

**Ok so extra chapter. Woo. Anyway I know Tempe may seem a little out of character but this is what I did on my 18th to cos its soooo nice to just pamper yourself sometimes so I thought she would've enjoyed it too. lol. Anyway enjoy and review. A xxxxxxx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. Not that you'd get much anyway but eh.**

* * *

When his parents had disappeared, Russ had tried his best to look after his baby sister, but it had been difficult. Both had reacted differently to their disappearance, however Tempe's reaction had been far more devastating to the siblings' relationship. Rather than deal with her emotions and feelings of abandonment, Tempe had instead simply shut everyone out, not letting anyone get close enough to hurt her again. Her coldness towards himself had made it even harder for him to cope and had in the end contributed to his agreeing to allow her to go into foster care. That decision had not been made easily though. He had wanted to keep them together but as their relationship grew worse, he had found himself agreeing with those who said that she would be better off in care, and eventually he had just left, praying that she would have a better life without him.

However as he stared at her now, at the bruises and cuts marring her pale skin, he cursed his own stupidity and selfishness, for rather than protecting her, he had instead left her vulnerable.

Grimly, he forced back the feelings of self-pity and walking further into the room; he sat down in the chair facing her. The pair remained silent, simply staring at the other. Finally Tempe decided to break the silence.

"What are you doing here Russ?" She asked harshly, her face remaining unreadable.

"I came to see you. I heard about what happened and...well...I needed to see that you were alright." Russ explained.

"Yeah well, you've seen me and now you can go with a clear conscience. I'm fine, I've managed without you for over two years and I'll manage without it after you leave." Tempe replied coldly.

"Tempe for god's sake, would you just talk to me! Stop blocking me out. I'm sorry I left, but you were so miserable and everyone said that you would be better off without me and I listened. So I made a mistake and I will spend the rest of life regretting that it led to you getting hurt but...you know what maybe this was a bad idea, I'll just leave." Russ began to stand but paused. "You know I only ever wanted what was best for you but we were both young and I made a mistake, so yeah I'm sorry that I'm such a useless brother and that you've had to suffer because I made a mistake but I did it because I thought that it would be better for you." Tempe huffed and Russ slumped sadly before taking a deep breath and continuing. "Anyway, I just wanted you to know that, and... well Happy Birthday Temperance." And with that he stood up to leave but suddenly there came a shout from the doorway.

"Oh no you don't!" Meredith called, unconsciously mirroring her mother's authoritative manner. Walking further into the room, she gestured towards Russ. "You sit down, right now!"

"Excuse me, but..." Russ began to say.

"I said SIT DOWN!" Meredith snapped, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him until he sat down again. Taking a deep breath, she huffed and moved to stand where she could look both siblings in the face.

"Now...what the hell is going on here?" She asked.

Tempe remained silent, stubbornly refusing to even look at Meredith but Russ, seeing that Tempe wasn't going to speak, chose to answer the girl instead.

"Look, she obviously doesn't want or need me here so I'll just leave, ok?" Russ explained sadly, again standing and preparing to leave.

"Did you really say that Tempe?" Meredith asked her softly.

Tempe looked at Meredith and nodded defiantly, although her eyes were glimmering a little with tears.

"God you know for someone with such a big brain as you have, you can be an absolute idiot at times." Meredith said exasperatedly. She turned to Russ who was now hovering next to his seat and ignoring Tempe, who was staring at her in astonishment, she said. "She lied."

"Oh really? And how would you know that?" Russ asked.

"Oh come on, are you kidding me?" Meredith stared at the pair of them, resisting the temptation to just slam their heads together and knock some sense into them. "Look I do get it you know, but you two only have each other and whether she'll admit it or not, Tempe has missed you and she does want you here." She paused again and looking at Tempe, she could almost see her walls going back up and she sighed. "Russ could you just give us a moment?"

Russ looked at the girls for a moment and then nodded.

"Why don't you go help yourself to a drink, kitchen is just through there." Meredith said, indicating the correct direction.

Russ nodded again and then walked out of the room.

* * *

As soon as he had left, Meredith turned back to face Tempe and again her tone changed.

"Why are you doing this, Tempe? I know that he hurt you, but he's your family and family's screw up sometimes. And you know what, you hurt him then too and you're hurting him now, so just give him a chance. You know that you need him, whether you're willing to tell him that or not."

Meredith leaned over and gave Tempe a gentle half-hug.

"Look it's your eighteenth birthday, we'll invite him to dinner, celebrate and then see where it goes. You don't have to deal with this all today, just one step at a time, remember?"

"Yeah, one step at a time." Tempe said.

* * *

Seeley was stood in front of his bedroom mirror, straightening his tie as he got ready for Tempe's birthday meal, when there was a knock on his door.

"Seeley, honey, can I come in?" His mother asked through the door.

"Yeah sure." He replied, smiling at her as she entered the room.

"You going out sweetie?" His Mom asked as she saw him smoothing out his suit.

"Yeah, it's Temperance's birthday, we're taking her out for a meal to celebrate." He explained, smiling as he thought of Tempe.

"Seeley..." His mom began hesitantly. "Is this girl important to you?"

"Yeah, yeah she is." Seeley answered immediately.

"Ok then." She paused. "So when do I get to meet her then?"

Seeley stared at his mother in shock. "That's it? No inquisition?" He asked suspiciously.

"Nope. I trust your judgement Seeley; she's obviously something special so I will just look forward to meeting her, just make sure its sometime soon." She smiled and reached up and ruffled up his neat hair, causing Seeley to jump back.

"Moooooom!"

She chuckled. "Tell Temperance happy birthday from me and have a good night." Seeley rolled his eyes at her before replying.

"Will do, Mom."

* * *

"Hey Seeley." Meredith said as she opened the front door. "She'll be ready in a minute and then we'll head for the restaurant. Oh and Seeley there's someone you need to meet..."

But Seeley was no longer listening; instead he was transfixed on the auburn-haired angel standing at the top of the stairs. Meredith seeing where Seeley's gaze was fixed chuckled and walked into the kitchen where she had left Derek and Russ chatting.

Tempe feeling Seeley's gaze, locked eyes with him and blushed. Then walking slowly she moved down the stairs towards him.

"Tempe, wow, I mean, wow. You look amazing, beautiful." Seeley stuttered.

Tempe blushed again and looked at her shoes.

Seeley smiled and gently placed a finger under her chin lifting it up so he could look into her eyes,

"No really, you do."

Tempe smiled shyly. "Thanks."

"Oh I almost forgot, here, happy birthday Tempe." Seeley said, handing over a neatly wrapped gift.

Tempe took it and then realising that it would be impossible for her to open it whilst she was standing, moved towards the living room. Having sat down and placed her crutches within easy reach, she gestured for Seeley to come and sit down next to her. She then began to neatly un-wrap her gift, slapping Seeley gently when she saw him smirking at her.

"What?!" He asked indignantly. "You're supposed to rip it open, be messy, its your birthday after all."

"But it's nice, I want to keep it." Tempe explained, as though it were obvious. Seeley merely rolled his eyes good naturedly and continued to watch her open her gift.

"Oh my god." Tempe exclaimed, turning to look at Seeley in shock.

"Do you like them?" he asked nervously, indicating the books which now lay in Tempe's lap. He had bought her _The_ _Archaeology of Human Bones, The Lost Tombs of Saqqara _and _Daily Life in Ancient Egypt: Recreating Lahun. _

Tempe continued to stare at him in wonder until Seeley began to fidget under her gaze.

"Seeley, they're wonderful. Thank you so much." Tempe said sincerely, before leaning over and hugging him. Pulling back, she looked at the titles again. "I can't believe you got me these."

"Yeah well, I know how interested you are in this stuff and well I wanted to get you something that showed you that I appreciate your intelligence. So yeah, enjoy." He finished awkwardly.

"Thank you Seeley, since my parents left no-one's ever cared enough to buy me things like that. I mean Meredith and Derek have but you know this means a lot too, and you know what, you understand me, so yeah I'm going to stop talking now." Tempe said, now blushing furiously.

Seeley simply chuckled, and leant over to hug her again. "Yeah I understand." He paused. "And you and Meredith are definitely spending too much time together cos you're starting to ramble just like she does."

"Hey, I resent that remark, it may be true, but on principle I resent it." Meredith called from the doorway, where she was now standing, flanked by Derek and Russ.

"Yeah well I call it as I see it." Seeley said, pulling carefully away from Tempe.

"Yeah well whatever." Meredith huffed, attempting to appear offended but failing miserably as she began to laugh.

"Anyway," she said, as she saw that Seeley was now eyeing up Russ, who was still behind her and probably sizing up Seeley too. "Seeley Booth this is Russ Brennan, Tempe's brother. Russ this is Seeley, our good friend." Meredith said, carefully introducing the pair.

"Tempe has told me a lot about you." Seeley said, his tone showing his true meaning even as his words remained neutral, holding out his hand to shake Russ' with. "Good to meet you."

Russ stared at him for a while, carefully sizing him up. Finally he nodded slightly at Seeley, indicating that he understood Seeley's underlining message, before taking his hand and answering him.

"Good to meet you too."

"Yeah well now that we all know who we are, what do you say to heading to the restaurant, we've got a birthday to celebrate after all." Derek intervened, easing the tension and reminding the two men of the people who were still in the room with them.

"Sounds great." They both said quickly.

* * *

As they moved apart, Seeley immediately headed towards Tempe, intent on helping her whilst Russ watched the pair. He smiled as he saw Tempe obviously resisting Seeley's offer of help before appearing to indulge him and allowing him to help her stand before they began walking towards the front door.

"He really takes care of her, doesn't he?" He muttered to Meredith who was also watching the pair.

"Yup and what's amazing is she lets him even if she tries to pretend that its under protest." Meredith replied, before following the pair out with Derek instantly at her side.

"Yeah I noticed." Russ breathed and then he shook his head and walked after the group.

* * *

**Yay 10th chapter. does little happy dance go me. Anyway I just wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed this story so far, they've been great in keeping me inspired to keep writing this story. Eek the sappiness, god I must be tired. Anyway the thanks are sincere even if it has come out a little sappier than I intended. So enjoy and review. A xxxxxxxxxxx**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Not mine, sigh.**

* * *

"Meredith." Derek called, as he rounded a corner of the hospital and saw a flash of blonde hair disappearing through a door.

"Derek, hey." Meredith said, popping her head back out of the room that she had just entered.

"Hi," Derek replied chuckling slightly. "So what are you doing here? Looking for your Mom?"

"No. Tempe's in for a check-up. She's just going in for an x-ray and a C.T scan. Mom told me that she thinks that Tempe will be able to have her leg cast off soon and then she can begin physical therapy." Meredith explained happily. Suddenly she chuckled.

"What?" Derek asked curiously.

"Well it's just that when Mom told Tempe, her response was 'Great, so does that mean I can go back to school now? I've been so bored just watching documentaries all this time.'" Meredith chuckled and Derek smiled a little, though he didn't find it as amusing as Meredith obviously did. Meredith seeing his reaction smiled. "Wait, that's not the best part. Anyway so when my Mom was telling her this Seeley and Russ were visiting. So after Tempe said that, Seeley turns to her and says, 'Well of course you're going to be bored if all you watch is documentaries.'"

Having finished her story, both began laughing.

"So what was Tempe's reaction?" Derek asked after a while.

"Oh well, at first I think she was a bit annoyed with Seeley but when she realised that he was teasing her, she just laughed too and whacked him across the head." Meredith explained chuckling again as she remembered Seeley's expression after Tempe had hit him. Both chuckled again.

"So how are things going with Russ and Tempe?" Derek asked.

Meredith paused briefly, before answering carefully,

"Better, I think. I mean Tempe does talk to him when he comes to visit which is a good sign and I think they're both starting to deal with their issues with each other, but, well I think they both have a long way to go yet."

"Yeah. Well at least they're moving in the right direction. I can't imagine not having my family. I mean my sisters may annoy the hell out of me and my Mom...well she's my Mom but still I wouldn't trade them for anything. And...god I'm sorry I'm being seriously insensitive right now, aren't I?" He said, realising what he had said and seeing Meredith's expression fall ever so slightly.

"No, it's alright Derek. My Mom may not be the easiest person to live with but she's still my Mom and anyway..." She paused, her face brightening. "I have a weird family of my own now don't I? I have Tempe and you and even Seeley."

"Yeah, you do have us." Derek said, smiling dreamily at the thought of being included in Meredith's family. Seeing Meredith blushing slightly at his stare, he shook himself a little, breaking the trance which the two had been locked in.

"So, I was wondering whether you'd like to go see a movie with me." He asked, wondering where this sudden burst of confidence had come from, that had allowed him to ask her out without stuttering like a fool.

Meredith blushed again, cursing her fair skin for giving her away.

"I'd like that Derek." She replied sweetly.

"Great. So tonight or maybe you're busy, tomorrow or whenever you're free is fine." Derek continued stumbling over his words as his nerves began to get the best of him.

"Derek." Meredith interrupted gently, stopping his stuttering. "Tonight would be perfect. Pick me up round 8?"

"Yeah, 8, 8 would be...perfect." He smiled dreamily again.

"Ok. So I'll see you then." Meredith said, smiling happily before walking back into the hospital room to wait for Tempe, her whole body feeling as though it was floating.

Derek stared at her and then realising that she had agreed to go on a date with him, he smiled broadly and continued down the corridor.

* * *

"Meredith would you please calm down, it's only Derek, I don't see what the big deal is." Tempe said exasperatedly, once again lying on the couch in the living room.

"Yeah I know its only Derek, but is this a date or just two friends hanging out and if it is a date, then do I want it to be and if he just sees us as friends and nothing else is that good or bad and do I want to change it and..."

"MEREDITH" Tempe yelled.

"What?" Meredith answered slightly startled.

"Ok just know that if I could, I would be standing in front of you shaking your shoulders right now." Tempe explained. "Ok would you just calm down and stop acting like a crazy person." She waited whilst Meredith desperately tried to calm down. "Now if it is a date, which I think it is you will be happy about it since even I can see how much you like Derek. And even if it's not now, it will be soon, so just chill."

Hearing this, Meredith suddenly paused. "Chill?"

"Yeah, Seeley told me that this is the correct context to use that phrase in, when you tell someone to chill, meaning calm down, not be cold obviously. Why did I not use it correctly?" Tempe asked, looking slightly confused.

"No, no that was the right way to use it. I guess it just took me by surprise to hear you telling me to 'chill'." Meredith explained, giggling a little before smiling reassuringly at Tempe.

"So when is Derek supposed to be here again?" Tempe asked, swiftly changing the subject, unfortunately that then sent Meredith into another wave of panic and Tempe sighed heavily, staring at the clock and counting the minutes until the date began.

* * *

"Hey Tempe, are you going to be ok whilst I'm out?" Meredith asked a little later.

"Yes Mom." Tempe replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Hey don't get cheeky with me little lady." Meredith retorted, trying to sound stern.

"Yeah, well I'll be fine, I manage whilst you're at school don't I?" Tempe said. "Anyway Seeley's coming round to watch some movies that apparently I 'have' to see." Tempe said, her tone offhand in an attempt to suggest that it didn't matter to her at all that Seeley was going to be visiting.

Meredith however, immediately picked up on it and turned to face her. "Oh really? So I'm not the only one with a date tonight am I?"

"It's not a date. Seeley just rang earlier and when he found out that you were going out, he offered to come round to keep me company, that's all." Tempe explained, furious at herself for blushing. "Anyway since I'm not going to be alone, you obviously don't need to worry about me, so go on, finish getting ready. I'll let you know when Derek gets here." Tempe said, shooing Meredith away.

"Ok, ok I'm going." Meredith replied chuckling and almost skipping out of the room. "But I still say it's a date." She sang teasingly. A thrown pillow, where her head had previously been was Tempe's only response to Meredith's teasing.

* * *

An hour later a knock at the door heralded the arrival of the boys. As Tempe hobbled to the door to open it, she smiled at the sight of both Seeley and Derek standing there. Inviting them in, she chuckled as Seeley gave the obviously nervous Derek a nudge to encourage him to move inside.

"Meredith, Derek's here." She called upstairs.

"Ok, I'll be down in a sec." Meredith called back.

Turning back to the boys, who were still standing near her, Tempe smiled at them and began walking carefully back into the living room, gesturing at them to follow her.

Upon entering the room, Seeley immediately followed Tempe to the couch and moved to sit down at one end, after making sure that Tempe was again lying comfortably on it. Then sitting down, he lifted her legs up carefully, and then placed her feet upon his own legs.

Seeing this, even as he fought with his own nerves, Derek smiled. He was sure that neither Seeley nor Tempe realised how natural and well, sweet their actions and gestures towards each other truly were.

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke through Derek's musings and caused him to turn back towards the entrance of the room. Seeing Meredith standing there, he smiled and suddenly all his nerves were gone.

"Hey, you ready?" He asked, walking towards her.

Meredith smiled in response. "Yeah I'm ready. Hey Tempe, Derek and I are heading out. Mom left some cash for some takeout, so you and Seeley can order something in if you get hungry. Behave yourselves, ok?"

"Yes, Mom." Tempe and Seeley chorused, laughing at Meredith's mothering.

"Ok, ok I'm going." Meredith laughed and she and Derek walked to the front door. But as she stepped through the door she couldn't resist one last parting shot.

"Be good for the sitter Tempe!"

A loud 'Oi' followed and Meredith and Derek chuckled as they closed the door.

* * *

"So now that the parents have finally left, where shall we start with your film education?" Seeley asked, smiling at the thought of an evening with Tempe watching all of his favourite films. Tempe simply smiled in response, her thoughts flowing in a similiar direction, before she leaned over and began looking over the film titles that he had brought.

"This one." She finally said, handing him one and then settling back into the cushions whilst Seeley started her so-called 'film-education'.

It was going to be an interesting evening, she thought as the beginning credits began to roll.

* * *

**I'd like to put something clever here, or ramble or something like I normally do but I seem to have nothing much to say unless any of you desire a long involved story about my cats, dogs, sisters etc. No? Ah well, you will never know the true scale of boredom which you have just dodged, lol. **

**Wow for having nothing to say I still made this a long note, lol. Anyway, read, review and enjoy. Please feel free to suggest any films you think Booth should be showing Bren and I'll work it in if it fits. A xxxxxxxx**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: only thing I own is this storyline and my laptop, the characters are just my playthings for now. I'll put them back, I promise. :-)**

* * *

"Dear Miss Brennan, this letter is to inform you that a date has been set for the court case against Ian Cartridge. You are hereby requested to be present at the Boston Courts Of Justice during these dates as a witness for the prosecution..."

* * *

Meredith walked nervously towards Tempe's bedroom on the first morning of the court case against her former foster father. Since the letter had arrived announcing the dates of the case, Tempe had once again tried to retreat behind her former emotional walls, although both she, Seeley and Derek had all fought with her to maintain her connections with them. Meredith sighed as she moved closer to the door, although in the last few days Tempe had begun to confide in Meredith and Seeley again, the happiness and levity which had marked her character lately had almost completely disappeared. Meredith took a deep breath, glad that she had not be called on to testify in the courtroom, having instead made a statement describing the night she found Tempe, which would be used instead during the upcoming trial. The lawyers had confirmed that it was unlikely at this point that she would be required to testify in person when they had gone in the previous week to prepare Tempe for the trial, for which she was grateful.

Coming to a halt in front of the bedroom door, she knocked gently.

"Tempe?" She called. "Seeley's here, we're ready to go whenever you are." Instead of a vocal response, Meredith heard movement inside the room and then the handle began to move. Stepping back she smiled reassuringly at Tempe, as she moved slowly out into the hall. Both girls were wearing brand new skirts and formal shirts and jackets, which had been bought by Ellis, who had decided that they were suitable for the case, and Meredith smiled as she saw Tempe fidgeting nervously with her shirt collar.

"Hey, stop messing you look great. Very neat, professional, all good things or so I'm told." Meredith smiled, with a slight mischievousness to her tone, causing a slight smile to appear on Tempe's face.

"Ok, let's get this show on the road." Tempe said, her voice sounding calmer and more confident than she actually felt.

"God, I'm going to kill Seeley for being such a bad influence on you." Meredith sighed exaggeratedly, rolling her eyes sarcastically at Seeley who was standing just inside the entrance hall of the house waiting for them.

"Hey, stop blaming me, you're influence on her is just as bad!" Seeley shot back, smiling at both girls as they made their way down the stairs towards him. Looking at Tempe, he smiled gently as he noted the fading bruises and injuries, and although the cast on her leg remained, he also knew that it would also soon be removed much to Tempe's delight and relief.

"Morning, Tempe." He said, walking over and holding out his hand to help her down the remaining stairs.

"Morning, Seeley." She smiled in response.

Nodding in Meredith's direction, Seeley began leading Tempe towards the front door and out to the car. Lifting her up into the passenger seat, he ignored her glare and instead carefully buckled her in, trying to quell his own worry about the days ahead. Putting on a brave smile, he lifted his head and met her ice blue eyes with his chocolate brown ones. Softly he raised his hand and pushed an errant curl behind her ear, and then tenderly drew his hand across her soft cheek, his eyes never leaving hers.

Tempe sighed gently, her eyes sparkling and her nerves settling as she felt a calm spread through her body at Seeley's touch.

"You ready for this?" Seeley asked, his hand now holding hers and squeezing it gently.

"Yeah, I need to do this, so he can't hurt anybody else." Tempe said determinately.

"Hey," Seeley said, "He won't, don't worry. They have the testimonies of other girls, as well as the documents listing your injuries."

"He's right, we're gonna nail the bastard." Meredith said, forcefully, now standing beside the open car door. "Come on let's go, we don't want to be late. Seeley are you going to jump in the back or follow us?" Meredith asked turning to face him.

"I'll hitch a ride with you guys if you don't mind?" Seeley asked.

"No, hop in." Meredith replied, moving round to the driver's side of the car.

* * *

The drive to the Law Courts was completely silent, with all three occupants thinking about the day ahead and what could happen afterwards.

Finally, they drew up at the steps in front of the Law Courts. Parking the car, Meredith turned to look at Tempe and then at Seeley, seeing the nerves and worry she felt, reflected on their faces.

As one, Meredith and Seeley got out of the car and moved around to the passenger door, carefully helping Tempe out of her seat and onto the ground before handing her crutches to her. Looking up at the great stone building in awe, they unconsciously moved closer together and began walking towards the steps leading into the building.

* * *

Upon entering the main hall, Seeley felt Tempe tense slightly as she saw the man who had almost killed her standing in the courtroom, which was facing the entrance hall. Although he was unsure of exactly what had prompted such a reaction in Tempe, Seeley suspected what she had seen and placed a reassuring arm around her shoulder, pulling her towards him.

"Just breathe, Tempe, stay with me." He spoke steadily and Tempe felt herself calm enough to keep walking towards the room.

As they moved closer, the trio saw the lawyers who were working on behalf of the prosecution and moved over to them.

"Ah Miss Brennan, how nice to see you." One of the lawyers said as they caught sight of the group.

Still feeling uncomfortable, Tempe merely nodded. Having introduced the other members of her team, the lawyer, who had greeted them, then began running through the timetable of the court day, including when Tempe would be required. As the lawyer continued speaking, Seeley was watching Tempe intently, which meant he immediately noticed her face growing paler. Waving off the lawyer, who had not seemed to have noticed Tempe's distress, he placed an arm under her shoulders and helped her over to the seats which were placed along the wall near the courtroom doors. Sitting her down in the plastic seats, he knelt down in front of her.

"You alright? Any pain at all or just nerves?" He asked, knowing that although her pain had lessened considerably that she still suffered at times, especially when she stayed standing for too long. That added to the stress of the day and he worried about how much she would be able to stand.

"I'm alright, Seeley. Stop fussing." Tempe snapped irritably, her exhaustion and increasing pain adding to her feelings of worry and misery.

"I'm going to keep fussing if you won't tell me when you're hurting. Somebody's gotta worry about you and since you won't that leaves me and Meredith." He explained, fighting annoyance as he realised that Tempe wasn't going to tell him how she really felt but instead was blocking him out. Suddenly he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and looking up he saw Meredith looking down at him, wearing a look of understanding, before lifting her head to look at Tempe.

"Seeley's right, Tempe. Anyway the sooner you tell us how you feel, honestly that is, the sooner we'll leave you alone and stop fussing around you. Well stop fussing as much, I mean we're still going to fuss about you, since you need it but still if you tell us, then we won't be hanging over you all day and that's better obviously because..."

"Meredith seriously, did you even take a breath?" Seeley interrupted, still amazed at Meredith's ability to ramble.

Both girls chuckled, causing the tension between the three to ease slightly.

"It's just my leg; it's a little sore ok? But it's not hurting as much now." Tempe finally admitted, the colour returning slowly to her pale cheeks as she remained in her seat confirming the truth of this statement.

"Ok." Seeley replied, accepting her answer but vowing to keep a careful eye on her throughout the remainder of the day.

* * *

"Calling Miss Temperance Brennan to the stand."

* * *

**OK chapter 12. Thought that it was time to deal with the foster father before we move on to happier things. Ok for the next couple of weeks updates may be a little crazy since I'm going on holiday and have no idea what the internet situation is going to be like. But I will do my best and I promise to keep writing whilst I'm on holiday either way. Have a great summer. A xxxxxxx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Characters- Not Mine, Grey's Anatomy- Not Mine, Bones- Not Mine. This Story Mine. That's all. **

* * *

When asked later about the events of that day, Seeley Booth would find himself unable to recall anything which had happened in the courtroom before Temperance was called to the stand. His attention had instead been focussed so entirely on Temperance that she remained his only clear memory of the entire day.

* * *

When she was eventually called to the stand, Seeley had watched her as she walked slowly towards the front of the courtroom, balancing her weight on her crutches, but with her head held high as she ignored the stares and whispers which followed her slow walk. As she reached the front of the room, he saw her stumble ever so slightly and he forced himself not to jump up and help her, as she instead steadied herself and continued forward. When she finally was guided into the wooden stand, he heard Meredith gasp from beside him and taking her hand he squeezed it gently, both giving and receiving comfort from the gesture as they saw Tempe's pale features staring back at them. The long day and the uncomfortable chairs of the courthouse had obviously taken their toll on Tempe and both worried at her ability to manage the questions and accusations which would now be thrown at her by both the prosecution and defence lawyers.

Having been sworn in, Tempe turned her face back towards the main body of the courtroom, quickly finding the chocolate brown and blue/green eyes of her friends. Both Meredith and Seeley smiled reassuringly at her, although Tempe could see that they were still worried about her. Hiding a grimace as pain shot through her, she attempted to smile back at them in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, before moving her eyes back to face the lawyer for the prosecution, a woman named Lucy Hyde.

* * *

The lawyer began with a few basic questions, her full name, age and where she had been born. She then continued by asking questions about how Tempe had come to be in foster care. Both Seeley and Meredith had earlier questioned the lawyer about the need to ask Tempe about her parents during the initial preparations for the case but she had deflected their objections by explaining that by describing her past, Tempe would be creating an emotional connection with the jury who would hopefully see her as the poor abandoned orphan rather than the traditional view of a badly-behaved foster kid. This would hopefully ensure that they would be less likely to believe any story created by the defence about how she had sustained her injuries, since they would instead view her as an innocent victim from the beginning.

As Seeley once again focussed on the court proceedings, he realised that Tempe was now describing how she had come to be with this foster family and then the beatings which had begun shortly afterwards.

"So Miss Brennan, Mr Cartridge would beat you on a regular basis?" Ms. Hyde asked.

"Objection!" The lawyer for the defence snapped. "Ms. Hyde is clearly leading the witness."

"That is not true, Your Honour, I was merely asking Miss Brennan to confirm her previous statement." Ms. Hyde immediately replied.

The judge stared at the two lawyers and then nodded, "Objection overruled, Mr. Lawrence. Continue Ms. Hyde."

"Thank you, Your Honour." Ms. Hyde said, before turning back to Tempe. "So as we were saying, Mr Cartridge had attacked you on previous occasions, correct?"

"Yes he had." Tempe replied.

"Thank you. Now could you please describe for us the night of the 24th which led to you being found outside of Boston General Hospital by Miss Meredith Grey?" Ms. Hyde asked gently.

Tempe took a deep breath, and taking strength from the chocolate brown eyes which never left hers, she began once again to tell her tale.

* * *

Eventually the prosecution handed Tempe over to the defence lawyer Mr. Lawrence and Seeley and Meredith immediately tensed. They knew that this line of questioning would be far harder on Tempe and already they had seen her visibly struggling both with her memories and also, Seeley suspected, with pain whilst she had been describing the night that Meredith had found her. He sighed and again locked eyes with her, willing his strength to pass to her and help her through this next portion of the trial.

Mr. Lawrence had come to a halt in front of Tempe and he raked is eyes across her face, looking as though he were cataloguing her injuries and confirm that they were real. As he turned away, once again facing the main body of the courtroom, Seeley flinched at the coldness in his grey eyes, automatically looking back at Tempe, who had now gone, if it were possible, even paler.

"So Miss Brennan, you claim that you were 'beaten' by Mr. Cartridge on a regular basis", and although he made no obvious gesture, the scepticism behind the word beaten was clear, "yet you never told anyone before you were admitted to the hospital. Perhaps you'd like to explain to me why?" Mr. Lawrence asked coldly.

"Because I was afraid of what he would do to me and the others if he find out and..." Tempe hesitated.

"And what?" Mr. Lawrence prompted.

Tempe sighed heavily and answered reluctantly. "And because I thought they wouldn't believe me."

"Now why would you think that, Miss Brennan?" Mr. Lawrence asked with a false air of kindness. "Why would a young innocent girl believe that she could not confide in anyone, not even the teachers at your school?"

"Because I'm a foster child and they never believe a foster child. We're always viewed as bad kids, the ones that can't be trusted or believed." Tempe replied harshly, her face flushed unnaturally and her breathing heavier.

"Is that all?" Mr. Lawrence accused. Tempe stared back silently, unwilling to back down. "You can think of no reason why your teachers may have chosen not to believe you?" Again he paused as though he believed that in doing so he would force a confession of some sort from her. "Very well then." He turned to face the jury and lifted a folder, which he had previously been holding behind his back. "This report states that you have been accused of lying and cheating before Miss Brennan, perhaps this would be why you believed that no-one would believe your lies again..."

"OBJECTION!" Lucy Hyde yelled. "That is a clear attempt to lead the jury's assessment of the witness' character."

"Agreed." The Judge replied. "That comment will be stricken from the record and you would do well to watch what you say from now on, Mr. Lawrence."

"I apologise, Your Honour." Mr. Lawrence replied contritely, although Seeley saw a hint of a smile pass over his features and he sighed knowing that the damage had been done. The suggestion had already been planted, whether the Judge tried to erase the damage or not.

"As I was saying Miss Brennan, this report states that you were accused of handing in work that was obviously not your own. Now, could you please confirm for the court, the report regarding these accusations?"

Tempe visibly hesitated, her breathing still erratic and now that the unnatural flush of anger had disappeared, she was growing visibly paler. "The report is real but it was later shown that it wasn't true. I would never lie or cheat..."

"That is not the question here, Miss Brennan. Were you or were you not accused of lying and cheating at school?" Mr. Lawrence asked again, his voice harsh and arrogant.

"I was. But..." Tempe tried once again to explain but Mr. Lawrence once again interrupted.

"So you have been accused of not been entirely truthful before, so one could wonder whether we can actually trust your story regarding your treatment at the hands of Mr. Cartridge." Mr. Lawrence finished an air of triumph in his voice.

"I...it...I mean..." Tempe began, but suddenly stopped, as she began gasping for air. She frantically gestured to Mr. Lawrence but he instead smirked and turned back to the jury.

"Your attempts to gain sympathy or distract the courtroom will not work, Miss Brennan." He said. "Now answer the question, how can we trust you?"

However, Seeley and Meredith had by now jumped to their feet and begun moving to the front of the room as Tempe was still gasping for air and both Lucy Hyde and the Judge were also now looking at her worriedly.

"Your Honour, I'm not sure..." Lucy began but was not able to finish as Tempe suddenly collapsed, falling forwards and only held in her seat by the high sides of the witness stand.

"No." Seeley yelled, breaking into a run, but prevented from reaching her by the guards. "Let me help her, she's unconscious. Someone needs to call an ambulance now!"

The Judge obviously agreed because he had already motioned to someone to call an ambulance and now gestured at the guards to let Seeley and Meredith past. Now free, Seeley immediately ran towards Tempe brushing angrily past the stunned Mr. Lawrence, who was stuttering incoherently.

"I...I...I didn't know, I thought..."

"Shut up!" Meredith snapped as she ran past.

Both skidded to a halt next to Tempe and began easing her out of the stand and onto the floor, lying her down carefully.

"Oh god. Tempe, come on honey, wake up. Come on. Don't do this to me." Seeley whispered; his hands smoothing down her hair, trying frantically to wake her as Meredith began checking her breathing and pulse.

"Shit!" Meredith cursed as she realised that Tempe was barely breathing and seeing a trail of blood trickling down from the corner of her mouth. "Where are the paramedics?" She yelled as she began CPR on her friend's unconscious form.

"They'll be here in five minutes; thank god we're so close to the hospital." Lucy Hyde said from beside her. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure, but my Mom said she could be at risk for blood clots after the amount of trauma her body's been through. I think she may have had one in her leg and it's broken off and travelled to her lungs. God dammit where are those paramedics!" Meredith swore, fear now flooding her as she realised how much danger Tempe could be in.

What felt like an eternity later, the paramedics arrived and Meredith stepped back gratefully, watching as they began taking Tempe's vitals, before rushing her out of the courtroom. As she followed them, she saw Seeley had run out with and was now arguing with the paramedic before jumping into the ambulance with Tempe, leaving Meredith to follow them alone.

* * *

**Ooh a little bit of a cliffhanger. Hopefully I'll be able to get a chapter up before the end of the week but can't promise anything at the moment since I'm kinda in the middle of nowhere. Anyway hope you enjoy the chapter and that it was worth waiting for. Review please. A xxxxxxx  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: The surname's mine since I'm a Booth too but beyond that nada, nothing, zip.**

* * *

The calm beeping of the hospital monitors seemed to mock the fear and anguish that Seeley had been feeling since Temperance's re-admittance to the hospital. Having confirmed Meredith's diagnosis of a Pulmonary Embolism, Tempe had immediately been placed on Heparin and Warfarin in order to prevent any more clots from forming and had then been admitted to the hospital again. Although her breathing had now stabilised, Tempe had still been placed on oxygen that was being delivered to her through a nasal tube. Staring at her frail body lying in the narrow hospital bed, Seeley sighed and dropped his head into his hands.

* * *

From outside the room, Meredith watched him silently, worried not only about Tempe's condition but also Seeley who was obviously struggling with his own fear. Taking a deep breath she was just about to enter the room when she heard Seeley begin to speak.

"God Temperance, you promised me that you'd tell me if the pain got too bad. Why won't you trust me?" Seeley muttered despondently, taking Tempe's hand in his. "Don't you know how much I care about you?"

"That's why she didn't tell you." Meredith said softly, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. "She cares about you too, that's why she didn't tell us that it was getting worse during the trial. She didn't want to worry us anymore than we already were."

Just as Seeley was about to reply he felt Tempe's hand shift slightly, and he immediately turned back to look down at her.

"Hey." He said as her eyes fluttered open.

"Hi." She rasped, automatically licking her dry lips. Seeing this Meredith quickly moved forward and poured her some ice water.

"Here. Have some water, but remember to drink it slowly." Meredith advised, guiding the straw to Tempe's lips, who drank it gratefully.

"Thanks Mer." She replied, having finished drinking some of the refreshing liquid.

"You're welcome Tempe. How are you feeling?" Meredith asked, setting the water back down and perching on the edge of the bed near Tempe.

"A bit sore but my breathing is easier than it was." She paused, wheezing slightly from the effort of talking. "What happened? All I remember is struggling to breathe and then nothing."

Meredith and Seeley glanced at each other, both wondering how much she remembered of the trial and of the defence lawyer's treatment of her. However even as she saw Seeley's concern about Tempe's memories, Meredith could see that he was still struggling with his anger regarding Tempe's failure to confide in him. Therefore she decided to answer Tempe's question herself rather than let Seeley reply, realising that he could end up saying something he regretted.

"You had a Pulmonary Embolism." Meredith explained, not at all surprised when Tempe interrupted, asking,

"A blood clot?" Meredith nodded. "I presume it started in my leg before travelling to my lungs?" Tempe asked curiously.

"Yeah that's what they think. It was always a risk, what with the severity of the damage and having to have it in a cast. They've put you on Heparin and Warfarin to prevent any more clots from forming and you're stats have stabilised so that's good news but..." Meredith hesitated.

"But what?" Tempe immediately asked.

"Derek told me that you're going to have to stay in hospital again, at least until you're off the drugs and they can make sure that there aren't any side effects or damage done to your lungs due to the P.E that we don't know about yet."

"Seriously?!" Tempe asked exasperatedly. "Come on, I only just escaped."

"I know Tempe, but it won't be for long and well, it could've been worse." Meredith soothed.

"How?" Tempe replied miserably, and then leaning her head back onto the pillows she let her eyes slip shut.

Meanwhile Seeley having remained silent whilst the girls were talking, now felt his annoyance fade a little as he saw Tempe's misery at being once again confined in the hospital. However feeling that he still needed to talk to her and explain how much her collapsing had scared him, he turned to Meredith and indicated that he would like a few minutes alone with Tempe now that she was awake.

Meredith seeing his gestures smiled a little. "You know I think I just saw Derek walk by, I'll just go and ask him again about how long you're going to be here, ok?" Having said this, she stood up and walked towards the door, gesturing to Seeley to follow. Curious about what she needed to speak to him about but wanting her to leave quickly so that he could talk to Tempe; he stood up and followed her.

"What?" He whispered; once they were stood just outside the doorway.

"Look I know that you're angry with her..."

"I'm not angry with her, I'm just..." Seeley interrupted but shrugged as he failed to describe how he felt.

"Well whatever you do feel, you're not exactly all bright and shiny right now either. But anyway my point, I had a point. Oh right that's it." She paused and looked at him sternly, smiling to herself as she saw him almost visibly shrink before her glare. "Don't be too hard on her. I know she scared you and that you're angry that she didn't tell you about how bad she was feeling, but this is Tempe we're talking about and you know how hard it is for her to depend on anyone at all and now she's starting to depend on us, but she doesn't want to worry us either especially when she believes that its unnecessary, so just go easy on her ok? She cares about you a lot too, whether she'll admit it or not." And smiling kindly at him, Meredith walked off, hoping that Seeley would talk to Tempe rather than just allowing his hurt and anger to fester. Turning the corner, she suddenly grinned as she caught sight of a lab-coat whipping around a doorway, maybe whilst she gave the pair some time alone she could find Derek. And dwelling on that happy thought she quickly walked off in search of him.

* * *

Tempe stared at Seeley. Having briefly left the room with Meredith, he had come back into the room and simply sat down, staring at her in silence. Tempe looked at him curiously, unable to read his facial expression and beginning to feel nervous about what was going through his head as he continued to remain silent.

Eventually Seeley sat up straighter, but although he took a deep breath and looked as though he was about to begin speaking, he still remained silent. Worried about his apparent inability to speak, Tempe instead asked.

"What's wrong, Booth?"

"That, that's exactly what's wrong! You keep distancing yourself, pushing me away, not even telling me when you are in pain. You know it isn't weak to admit that you're in pain and need someone sometimes, Tempe!. God damnit, I care about you!" He snapped, but although he appeared angry, the gentle path his hand took along her face before grasping her hand showed his true feelings which remained beneath his anger.

"I know that you care, Booth." Seeley flinched angrily and began to pull his hand away but Tempe quickly tightened her grip and pulled him back towards her, surprising him with her strength and forcing him to move from his seat to sit next to her. "I'm not trying to push you away, especially not when I call you Booth." She hesitated and a blush spread across her pale skin. "I just call you Booth because sometimes that feels more correct to me, like it fits, almost my name for you, MY Booth." She hesitated again, gathering her courage. "You are MY Booth, right?" She asked innocently.

Seeley smiled happily and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles, making that part of her hand tingle. "Yeah I am, and you're MY Bones." And looking up, his eyes met hers and he smiled again as he lovingly spoke his nickname for her.

"Bones?" She asked, not entirely pleased by the name.

"Yeah Bones, my little forensic anthropologist-to-be, it fits don't ya think?" Booth explained, smiling charmingly. "What?" He asked as an annoyed expression appeared on her face.

"I am not little and don't call me Bones." Tempe replied.

"Oh yeah? And why not? Who's going to stop me, Bones?" He retorted, chuckling.

"Me, and I tell you something Seeley Booth..."

"My goodness, Meredith told me that you two have a tendency to bicker but you two put two-year olds to shame." A voice interrupted causing both to turn and face the doorway.

There in the doorway stood a middle-aged woman smiling indulgently at the two bemused faces that were now staring at her.

"Hello dear." She said addressing Tempe. "Since my son seems unable to perform the introductions I'll assume that you are Temperance Brennan." Tempe nodded, almost cowering after she heard the word 'son'. "Well I'm Carol Booth and its lovely to finally meet you dear."

* * *

Oblivious to the drama unfolding in Tempe's hospital room, Meredith was happily walking with Derek whilst he completed his rounds, enjoying his company but carefully avoiding her mother's.

"So Tempe's awake, that's good, though I wish we had paid more attention to how likely she was to develop a P.E. She was in the risk factor." Derek said, annoyed and worried about the amount of suffering his patient, and his friend, he amended silently, was being put through due to what he believed was his mistake.

"Derek it's not your fault." Meredith scolded lightly. "You kept as close an eye on her as you could and she was basically past the period where she was most at risk so you couldn't really have predicted this happening now. You are not to blame here, these things just happen sometimes. Tempe's fine, so stop worrying ok?" She asked, pulling him back so that he would face her properly, before letting her hand slip down to hold his.

"Ok." He replied quietly. The pair stood there for a while, seemingly unaware that they were holding hands, when suddenly Derek tightened his grip and pulled her into an empty room.

"What the hell, Derek?" Meredith asked, surprised at the sudden movement.

"I just realised something." Derek explained briefly and then when he failed to explain further, Meredith prompted him by saying,

"What?"

"I haven't asked you on another date and although the timing could be better, well, that can't be helped." He paused and smiled dreamily at her. "Would you like to go out to dinner with me?"

Meredith, although originally surprised by his abrupt change of mood and topic, smiled brilliantly.

"Yeah I'd love to Derek." She replied.

"Good, that's good. Tomorrow night or do you want to wait till Tempe is out of the hospital?" Derek asked.

Meredith smiled again. If she were the swooning type she knew that she would have been a puddle on the floor after this obvious display of dreaminess regarding his concern both for Tempe and herself.

"Tomorrow night should be fine but can we see how Tempe is during the day or do you need to make reservations and would that make tomorrow to difficult, so should we wait until after she comes home or is that just silly and am I being ridiculous?"

"Meredith, breathe." Derek said, placing his hands gently on his shoulders. "Now I can break a reservation quite easily so I'll make one for tomorrow and we'll see what happens, ok?" Meredith nodded, feeling the warmth emanating from his body, and unconsciously moving closer. Derek gulped slightly. "So yeah tomorrow night. That'll be good and..." He faltered as Meredith stepped even closer and he automatically slid his arms off her shoulders and wrapped them around her waist. In response Meredith placed hers around his neck, stepping almost on to the tip of her toes so that she could reach. Smiling tenderly at her, and enjoying the feel of her in his arms and how right it felt, Derek leant down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Mmmm strawberries." He muttered, before catching her lips again and deepening the kiss.

Eventually the pair broke apart to breathe, grinning a little at each other, but as the noise from the hospital once again permeated their subconscious, their smiles became a little guilty and separating, they began moving towards the door. However as Meredith began to step back into the corridor, Derek gently pulled her back.

"So tomorrow night?"

"Yeah tomorrow night." And placing a soft whisper of a kiss on his lips, she smiled and darted back into the corridor, leaving Derek with a slightly disorientated but happy smile plastered on his face.

* * *

**Oh-kay so a little bit of sappiness there but hey we needed a little after that cliffy. oh and btw i almost felt the need to cower behind my laptop after some of those reviews, but hey cliffys can be fun sometimes, right? right? well whatever. oh and i know it may seem weird having temperance call seeley 'booth' after all this time but i always saw it as more of a term of endearment of bones' part after a while so i thought now was a good time to have her use it. seeley doesnt have the same feel to it. but let me know what u think. anyway enjoy and review. A xxxxxxxx**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: Don't own Bones, Don't own Booth, Don't own Meredith, Don't Derek...ok i think you get the point i dont own anything!**

* * *

Carol Booth sat quietly observing the fragile girl lying in the bed in front of her, this girl who had so obviously stolen her son's heart. Temperance was still obviously struggling with Carol's sudden appearance, hardly daring to even lift her eyes to look at her. Seeley, having noticed this was squeezing Temperance's hand reassuringly, before briefly glancing at his mother, his gaze asking her to be gentle. Carol smiled, proud as she always was of this proof of her son's caring and considerate nature, and nodded subtly to her son to let him know that she had understood. Seeley smiled gratefully and then turned his attention back to Temperance.

The silence continued for a while until Seeley returned his gaze to his mother.

"So, Mom what are you doing here?" He asked quietly, as though he were worried that if he were any louder he would scare Temperance. Seeing that the girl still seemed skittish, Carol responded, also keeping her voice as soft, unlike her earlier confident tones.

"Well when you rang to tell me that you were at the hospital again and that Temperance was unconscious, well I wanted to come and make sure that Temperance was ok. What happened in that courtroom Seeley?" She asked, her genuine concern causing Temperance to briefly lift her head in surprise, although she still remained quiet.

Seeley keeping a firm grip on Temperance's hand quickly explained what had happened, the fear and worry he had felt rushing through him once again, as he relieved the awful moments of the day.

"My god." Carol gasped. "But you're feeling better now, I mean you're awake so..." Carol asked, automatically moving to look at Temperance and reaching out as though to reassure herself that the girl was ok. However she quickly snatched her hand back as she saw Temperance flinch away from the simple movement. Worriedly she looked at Seeley, who silently indicated to her to step outside. Standing up, she watched as Seeley pulled Temperance into his arms and murmured quietly to her and as she moved out into the corridor, she saw that Seeley's words had begun to calm the poor girl, as she saw her settle deeper into his arms.

* * *

Eventually Seeley came out of the room and walked slowly down the corridor to sit down on the seats next to where his mother now sat.

"She's sleeping." He explained, his own exhaustion seeping into his voice, instinctively leaning towards his mother as he settled into his seat.

"That's good." She paused and carefully examined her son, reflecting on what had just happened in the hospital room. Although she was aware of some of what happened to Temperance, Seeley had not given her all the details, explaining that it was not his place to do so, but Temperance's reaction to Carol's attempt to touch her had worried her immensely. Mother and son were still sitting in silence, both reluctant to begin their next conversation when Meredith suddenly came round the corner instantly stopping as she saw the pair sitting in silence.

"Oh My God, what's wrong? Has something happened to Tempe?" She asked her tone panicky. "I knew I shouldn't have left you alone with her, you were both too upset and now..."

"Meredith, stop." Booth said, jumping up and placing his hands on her shoulder. "Seriously calm down, she's fine, she's sleeping. I just needed to talk to my Mom so we came out here so that we wouldn't disturb her."

"Oh right." She paused, looking embarrassed. "Sorry Seeley."

"No worries Mer, you were just worried about her, and it's not exactly been an easy day, has it?" Booth asked.

Meredith shook her head and then walked over to where Carol Booth had remained seated, who had not wished to interfere. As Meredith went to sit down, Booth realised that he hadn't introduced Meredith to his mother.

"Hey Meredith, I'd like you to meet my mom, Carol Booth. Mom this is Meredith Grey, Tempe's friend." Booth said, smiling as he introduced the pair.

To Booth's surprise, both women merely chuckled following his introduction.

"Wha..." He stammered, his face showing his total confusion. Carol and Meredith laughed again when they saw his expression, until Carol took pity on her son and decided to explain.

"I'm sorry Seeley, it was very sweet of you to **finally**," she said placing emphasis on the word 'finally', causing Seeley to blush, "introduce me to one of your friends but since I had already met Meredith earlier, it wasn't really necessary."

"You've met before? When?" Booth asked, still confused. "How?"

"Well I was wandering down past the nurses' station when you threw me out earlier, you know to have your 'talk' with Tempe and I heard this woman asking about a Seeley Booth and a Temperance Brennan. So obviously I stopped..."

"Yeah obviously!" Booth interrupted, a mischievous look on his face, earning himself an elbow in the stomach from Meredith and a glare from both women. Smiling charmingly and looking as innocent as possible, Booth nodded to Meredith to continue her story.

"Anyway, after hearing that she was looking for you two, well I wanted to make sure that, you know she wasn't someone that we didn't want near Tempe so I went and asked who she was and what she wanted with Tempe." Meredith explained boldly, seemingly unaware of Booth's gobsmacked expression at her bold, verging on rude treatment of his mother, and Carol's amused expression.

"Seeley Booth, you can stop that staring right now! You'll have all your friends thinking I'm an ogress." Carol teased. "So anyway I told this titchy little blonde, who was obviously trying to intimidate me that I was your mother and had come to the hospital to check up on you." Meredith smiled a little, blushing slightly at Carol's description of their meeting and of her first impression of her.

"Yeah, so anyway I told her where you guys were and warned her that you guys had a tendency to fight. And that was it." Meredith finished quickly.

"Oh that was it, was it?" Booth began but the trio suddenly jumped up as they heard a terrified scream come from Tempe's room.

* * *

With Booth in the lead, all three rushed back into the hospital room where they found Tempe thrashing about on the bed, screams and whimpers still coming from her as she fought her demons. Running towards the bed, Booth immediately pulled Tempe into his arms, desperately trying to bring her out of her nightmares. Meredith had also sat down on the bed with them and was doing her best to also try and soothe Tempe. Carol, however remained at a distance, watching the pair as they carefully comforted and calmed Temperance.

"Please...no...I'm sorry..." Tempe murmured restlessly, still fighting the images that pursued her in her dreams.

"It's ok Tempe; no-one's going to hurt you. It's alright." Booth whispered gently, placing her head in the crook of his neck and running his hand through her hair, rocking her gently. Over the top of her head, his eyes met Meredith's, which mirrored his own anguish.

After a while Tempe began to relax and her breathing once again deepened, showing that she had once again fallen asleep. However Booth still kept rocking her gently, reluctant to let her go.

"God Mer, I thought the nightmares were getting better?" Booth asked. "She told me that they weren't as bad."

Meredith smiled sadly, watching as Booth pulled Tempe as close as he could without waking her. Tempe had told her the same thing, however living in the same house meant that she was aware of the frequent nightmares which Tempe still had. She had encouraged Tempe to talk about them but Tempe had stubbornly refused to admit that they were still a problem. She sighed and watched as Booth continued to rock Tempe, who was now sleeping far more peacefully.

* * *

Wearily Booth and Meredith stumbled back into the hallway, unconsciously moving towards the line of chairs where they had been sat earlier. Falling into the chairs, the pair sighed and allowed their eyes to briefly slip shut as their exhaustion overwhelmed them.

What felt like only seconds later Booth felt a hand gently squeeze his shoulder.

"Huh? What?" He mumbled sleepily, his eyes finally focussing on his mom's face. "Mom?"

"Here Seeley, drink some of this." She said handing him a cup of coffee and then moving over to Meredith who was curled up in the seat nearby.

Booth sipped at the coffee sleepily as he watched his mom gently place a blanket over the sleeping girl before walking back to sit next to him.

"Thanks Mom." He muttered.

* * *

**Ok I'm soooooo sorry. RL has been a bitch lately. Basically I was in the middle of nowhere on Vancouver Island with dodgy wireless and then of course I was supposed to be flying home** **with Zoom and so I was a bit stuck and spent ages arguing with airlines, credit cards etc. ooh it was fun! anywho i'm home and i'm finally over my jetlag so here you go. I'll be posting regularly again now (I hope) so yay. so anyway next time i should be far more cheery but eh. so enjoy, read and review please. A xxxxxxx**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing them, I'll give them back I promise. Some dialogue and ideas are borrowed from the show too cos it totally works here.  
**

* * *

She was being held down, the darkness beginning to close in. She tossed her head frantically, desperately looking for a way out, to escape the weight that was holding her down. Her breathing was becoming shallower and she felt the tendrils of panic tugging at her.

Her eyes snapped open. Lifting her head and shifting slightly on the bed, she realised that she was still being held down. However the weight that had frightened her so much in her dreams was merely Seeley's arm, wrapped securely round her waist, pulling her tightly to him. Slowly she let her head fall back down onto the pillow and lifted her hand, placing it on top of his arm, drawing strength from the contact as she tried to calm her breathing and banish the images of her nightmares. It was as her mind began to clear, and her brain suddenly processed what she had only briefly considered, that she realised something, Booth was lying in bed with her. Turning her head, she glanced behind her and smiled softly at the sight that met her. His head lay just behind her on the pillow, his face serene and untroubled by the worries of life, his hair mussed by his movements whilst he slept. She smiled again, her nightmares already leaving her as she lay in his arms, comforted and protected.

Suddenly Booth shifted. "Sleep... Tempe." He muttered, before drawing her more tightly into his arms and settling back down.

Tempe smiled again and snuggling back into his embrace, allowed her eyes to slip shut.

* * *

Derek chuckled to himself as he listened to Meredith's snores, slightly in awe that such a noise could come from such a tiny person. Still chuckling, he shifted her up again, making his grip on her more secure as he continued walking towards the nearest on-call room. He had found her curled up on the seats that lined the corridor outside of Tempe's room and although she had been covered with a blanket and sleeping deeply, he knew that she would wake up very stiff and sore if he left her there all night and so had decided to take her to one of the beds in the on-call rooms.

As he came to the on-call room, he carefully shouldered it open, whilst still maintaining a strong grip on Meredith. Walking into the room, he quickly spied an empty bed and having moved towards it, he lay her down on it. Covering her tiny frame with a thick blanket, he absentmindedly pushed back a few strands of blonde hair that had slipped across her forehead. Meredith stirred but still did not wake, her snores echoing throughout the room. Derek shook his head again, still amazed by the sound and then turning away; he quietly crept out of the small room.

* * *

When Tempe next opened her eyes, she was alone in the bed and Booth was also no longer in the room with her. Surprised at the pang that had shot through her when she noticed his absence; she carefully rolled onto her back and sat up. Stretching her legs, she grimaced as a stab of pain shot through them. Then as she heard the sound of the doorknob turning, she immediately turned to face it, a smile gracing her features.

"Good Morning, Tempe!" Came Derek Shepherd's cheery voice. "Oh now there's a welcome!" He teased seeing the smile fall from Tempe's face when she saw that it wasn't Booth who had entered. "I just saw him heading out to grab some breakfast for you both, he'll be back soon." He quickly told her, smiling kindly.

"Thanks Derek." Tempe smiled gratefully, not only thanking him for telling her where Booth was.

"No worries. So anyway how are you feeling today? Any troubles with your breathing?" Derek asked, moving towards the bed and beginning to check the monitors that were still hooked up to Tempe.

"I feel fine. My legs still ache but other than that I'm fine. When can I leave?" Tempe asked, her question not surprising Derek in the slightest.

"Soon we hope, but we have to make sure that there have been no side-effects from the drugs we placed you on and that your clotting factors are now returning to normal, now that we're weaning you off them." Derek explained patiently. Tempe nodded, silently watching Derek work.

"Did Meredith go home?" Tempe asked, breaking the silence that had filled the room till then.

Derek chuckled slightly at the question, but then seeing Tempe's confused expression, he smiled and began to explain.

"No she didn't go home. I found her curled up on the seats outside your room. I'm surprised her snores didn't wake you or at the least cause some complaints." Both chuckled. "Anyway I moved her into one of the on-call rooms. She was still sleeping when I last checked on her." Then having finished checking Tempe's stats and medications, he smiled, told her he'd see her later and left to continue his rounds.

* * *

Booth couldn't stop smiling. He knew it was cheesy and if his brother saw him, he'd probably torment him about it until the end of time, but he simply couldn't help himself. As he walked down through the hospital corridors carrying the food he'd got for his and Tempe's breakfast, he once again allowed his mind to drift back into his memories.

After he and Meredith had soothed Tempe's nightmares they had both retreated to the hospital corridor where Meredith had almost immediately fallen asleep. Booth had briefly spoken to his mother but had then encouraged her to return home and get some rest, promising to phone her the next morning and let her know how Tempe was doing. He had sat on the uncomfortable plastic chairs for a little longer after his mother had left, listening to Meredith's snores and worrying about Tempe's continuing nightmares. However as he had been beginning to doze, his mind exhausted by the day's events, he had once again heard Tempe's whimpers and terrified murmurs. He had quickly run into her room and lying down next to her on the bed, he had pulled her into his arms. He wasn't sure if she had actually awakened this time but she had calmed and her breathing had once again evened out as she slipped into a peaceful sleep. Still he had continued to hold her, comforting himself as much as he was comforting her. Eventually he too had drifted off.

The next morning he had felt like he had still been dreaming, and even as he remembered this original thought, he rolled his eyes at his own cheesiness.

Tempe's body had been warm against his own, safe and protected in his embrace, a small smile curling at her lips even as she slept. He had wanted to remain there, holding his Bones, but unfortunately his stomach had chosen that moment to remind him that it had been some time since he had last eaten. Cursing the loud rumblings of his stomach he had gently eased himself away from Tempe and then having leant over and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, he silently left the room in search of breakfast.

He grinned again as he realised that lost in his musings he had already reached her room and balancing the food carefully he opened the door and entered.

* * *

"Good Morning Sleeping Beauty."

Meredith smiled at the comment and turned to look at Derek, who was leaning over a Nurses' station filling in a chart.

"Hey."

"So you know you snore like a trucker." He said, smiling cheekily.

"I do not." Meredith replied indignantly.

"Actually you do and I've got witness who will agree with me."

"Yeah...well..." Meredith stammered and then failing to come up with anything to say, she settled for punching him lightly.

"Ouch, hey stop assaulting me with your tiny ineffectual fists." Derek pouted pathetically, before grinning at her and receiving a smile and a roll of the eyes in response.

"Have you seen my Mom around yet?" Meredith asked, looking around a little warily, realising that she had never called her mom to let her know what had happened at the Court Room and at the hospital.

"No I haven't had that pleasure yet." Derek replied carefully. "Why?"

"Cause I kinda didn't call her last night and I'm not sure how she'll react once she knows that neither of us made it home last night and didn't let her know, not that she normally ever wants to know or anything like that but she always reacts badly when she thinks I'm misbehaving and well I know I wasn't but she always thinks that I am, even now...I'm rambling again aren't I?" She punched Derek again. "Why don't you ever stop me?"

Derek simply smiled and quickly looking up and down the corridor and seeing no sign of Ellis, kissed her quickly and sweetly on the nose.

"Because it's cute."

* * *

**Aww the sappiness, ain't it all so cute? Jeese I've been all stressed and yet all I can write is sappy, lovey stuff. Go figure. Anywho, hope you all enjoyed this. Read and Review please! Lil bit of begging cos I love the reviews they so make my day. lol. A xxxxxxx**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones I wouldn't be making me wait a month for the next episode! Since they are, I obviously own nothing! Grrrrrrr.**

"You know, my Momma used to say that a good day starts with a good breakfast." Booth said, his voice slipping slightly into a gentle drawl as he opened the door of Tempe's hospital room.

"Your 'Momma' said that, did she?" Tempe replied, gently rolling over to face Booth, as he moved further into the room, balancing a heavily laden food tray, a smile lighting up his features. Smiling in return, she glanced down at the tray, which he was now laying down in front of her. "So where's my good breakfast? I can't imagine that your Mom would agree that grease on a plate would constitute a healthy breakfast." And smiling mischievously, she pointed at the fried breakfast he'd bought for them at the hospital canteen.

Booth chuckled, and leaning down to look her in the eyes, he said,

"At no point did I say that a good breakfast equalled a healthy breakfast," he paused and shrugged, his expression adorably innocent. "And there were a few limits to what I could get us from the Canteen; they should be bringing something else round if her ladyship would prefer something else." And he gestured gallantly, as though indicating that he had absolutely no say in what she did, but was merely there to serve.

Tempe wrinkled up her nose and was just about to retort when her stomach decided that it had had enough and grumbled loudly. Flushing bright red, Tempe turned her face away, praying that he had neither heard her stomach nor noticed her face. Unluckily for her, Booth's next words confirmed her worst fears.

"Well I'll guess from that noise that your stomach agrees with me, good Vs healthy anytime." And with that he grinned, handed her some utensils and began to dig into his own portion, leaving Tempe to try and cool her face and to try and ignore her feelings of embarrassment.

The pair quickly finished their breakfast and having moved the plates out of the way, Booth carefully helped Tempe out of the bed and into the bathroom. Whilst he waited he lay down again on the bed, allowing his eyes to drift to the window, watching as rain droplets ran slowly down the window pane. The rain had stopped whilst they had been eating and he could now see rays of sun piercing the grey clouds and patches of blue sky amongst the thick cloud.

Suddenly a sharp voice interrupted his musing, causing him to jump slightly. "Oi, shift, you're taking up all the space!" Booth snapped his eyes open and over to where Tempe was now standing, her weight still distributed carefully, smiling at him indulgently.

"Hmmm I don't know, I'm pretty comfortable where I am, maybe I should just stay here on this comfy bed?" Booth replied, smiling cheekily, before closing his eyes and letting his head settle into the pillow.

"Humph." Tempe huffed.

Booth smiled to himself as he heard her indignant snort and then peering through with one eye, he chuckled at what he saw. Tempe was standing next to the bed, her face curled into a snarl, her body held as stiffly as she could manage and her arms crossed across her chest. He smiled, thinking how under different circumstances he might have been a little intimidated by her but instead he just thought she looked cute.

"What?!"

"Nothing. Come on you need to lie down." Booth said, reaching out his hand to guide her back onto the bed.

"I'm fine, Booth," she glared at him as he carefully organised her breathing tube and drip, before helping her into the bed and drawing the covers up. Realising the futility in protesting, she sighed and settled gratefully into the softness of her pillows. Booth smiled at her, smoothing her hair, watching as she dozed.

"I'll be right back." He whispered, leaning down and kissing her swiftly on her forehead, smiling at the soft murmur he received in response.

* * *

"Hey Derek." Booth called, as he jogged down the corridor.

"Hey Seeley. Sleep well?" He asked, smiling innocently.

"Yeeeees. Why?" Booth asked, eying Derek suspiciously.

"No reason." Derek replied, his voice taking on a small song-like tone.

"Hmmmmm." Booth eyed him again but decided not to press it, suspecting that any answer would simply lead to more teasing directed towards him. "Anyway," he paused so as to gain Derek's attention again, "I wanted to ask you something?" Derek tilted his head, his face taking on a serious expression, before nodding, indicating for Booth to continue. "It's just, I'm worried about Tempe's breathing, it seems to be a little ragged. She's not obviously struggling to breathe but it still doesn't sound normal. She went to the bathroom but I made sure that she didn't rush and that she kept her nasal tube in, but she still seemed a little breathless."

Derek looked a little troubled. "Well she seemed fine when I examined her, but I'll come and check her again when I've finished up here, ok?"

"That would be great, thanks Derek." Booth replied, smiling gratefully, holding out his hand to shake Derek's.

"No problem."

* * *

"Meredith?"

"Mom?"

Ellis Grey stared at her daughter, her sharp eyes noticing the rumpled look of her clothes, an obvious sign that they had been slept in.

"Hmm, I see you didn't make it home last night then." She sighed heavily. "I suppose I was hoping that that girl would have a good influence on you and instead you're staying out all night with God's knows who. Well, anyway, I'm busy right now so I can't deal with whatever situation you've got yourself into and don't think that you can just hang around here just to get out of school." She paused, but continued before Meredith had a chance to interrupt. "There's food in the fridge if you do decide to go home but either way I think it's time for you to leave." Ellis said, her hands making a small shooing motion, her body language clearly showing that she didn't want anyone to see her daughter with her.

"Er Mom, have you had the chance to talk to Dr. Shepherd or any of the nurses today?" Meredith asked cautiously, keeping her voice low and gentle so as to not aggravate her mother any further.

"No, I've only just got here." Ellis replied sharply.

"Oh, it's just that Tempe was admitted again last night. She collapsed yesterday whilst we were in Court; I stayed here to make sure she was alright." Meredith hesitated. "Mom did you really think that badly of me that you thought I'd abandon Tempe on the day of her trial or drag her out when she still needs to be resting?" Ellis' silence gave her answer and Meredith hung her head sadly. "Ok Mom, I'll see you when I see you."

"I'm sorry Meredith," Ellis whispered as her daughter walked away from her, guilt filling her as she realised that she had once again misjudged her daughter and possibly driven them even further apart. Instead of going after her daughter however, she squared her shoulders, squashed her feelings of guilt and sadness regarding her daughter and began walking towards her first patient of the day.

* * *

**Hmmmmm I had a really clever thing to put here but I forget what it is. Ah well. That's life ain't it? So Ellis was going to be far nastier in this chapter but in the end I decided that that was going too far so I softened her up a bit. Comments please let me know. Ok I wish I could write some clever bits here but I'm running on a severe lack of sleep so just be glad I wrote this yesterday when I was awake lol. Anywho Read and Review please. A xxxxxxx**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Mwahahahahahahahaha I borrow them and play with them. Sigh I'll put them back, ok?

* * *

**"Oof. Hey watch where you're....Meredith? Meredith, what's wrong?" Derek asked, placing his hands on her arms to steady the petite blonde, who had just collided with him. Seeing her tears, he quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a gentle embrace.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong." Meredith replied, angrily swiping at the tears which were stubbornly rolling down her cheeks. "Everything's the same, nothing has changed and why would it. As far as she's concerned...but why should that bother me anyway...it's always the same...god dammit why does it still bother me? I mean it shouldn't but it does and...aaargh!" Derek stared at her, a smile fighting its way onto his face at the growling noise that had come from her at the end of her angry mutterings, even as his mind fought against his growing anger towards Ellis Grey, as he was shown another example of her cruel treatment of her daughter. Unfortunately for Derek, Meredith happened to look up at that precise moment and seeing the smile that had slipped onto his face, she snarled at him angrily and shaking him off, she stormed away from him. Derek, however responded quickly and grasped her arm, pulling her back to him.

"You ASS!" She shouted. "Let me go, NOW!"

Derek simply stared at her quietly and noting the angry tears which were still rolling down her cheeks, he slipped his hand round hers and began pulling her towards the nearest empty room.

* * *

The door clicked shut behind the pair as Derek guided Meredith carefully into the empty on-call room. Leading her over to the nearest bed, he gently encouraged her to sit before sitting down next to her. Moving closer to her, he slipped his arm round her again and pulled her into a comforting embrace, mumbling soothing words against her golden head. Gradually her tears began to slow, his mere presence a comfort to her. Eventually she lifted her head from where it had been laying against his chest and gazed at him, his deep blue eyes smiling back at her. No words were spoken but an entire conversation was still carried out between the pair, until Derek smiled down at her affectionately, placed a loving kiss on her nose and tucked her head back under his chin, his arms wrapping around her, holding her tightly to him.

They emerged a short time later, Meredith's eyes red from her tears, but even as her previous sadness had left its mark on her features, a peaceful serenity appeared to have settled on the pair, if only for a short time. Slowly making their way back to Tempe's room, they held tightly to each other's hand, giving and receiving the comfort and strength that they both desperately needed.

As they approached the door, Booth slipped out, pulling the door closed behind him. As he looked up, they could see a smile spread across his handsome face but as they drew nearer, the smile faded and he studied the pair closely. Immediately he noticed Meredith's tear-stained cheeks and the way that Derek hovered over her, his posture screaming his desire to shield and protect her from anything that might harm her.

"Meredith? Meredith, what's wrong? What's happened?" Booth asked softly, walking up to her and lifting her chin up to meet his eyes, which were quickly cataloguing everything he saw so as to convince himself that she was unharmed.

Meredith smiled weakly. "I'm fine Seeley. I'm just gonna go see how Tempe's doing, k?" She spoke softly, her voice still baring the traces of her crying. Knowing that she was anything but 'fine' but also knowing that he wouldn't get her to tell him right then, he lifted his hand and squeezing her shoulder gently, he quickly moved aside so that she could enter the hospital room ahead of the two men.

"So she's 'fine', is she?" Booth asked sceptically.

"That's what she says. Her Mom, well suffice to say it's lucky that Ellis is in theatre at the moment and that she's my boss or I swear to God, Seeley.....how can that monster have a daughter like Meredith?" Derek asked incredulously.

"No idea." Seeley paused and drew a hand through his short black hair, a nervous gesture he had had since he was a child. "Did she tell you what she said to her?" He asked, referring to Meredith and Ellis' 'conversation'.

"Yeah." Derek replied, quickly relating the whole conversation and how he had found Meredith in tears to Booth, who was almost spitting nails by the time Derek had finished.

"That Witch!" Booth snapped, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Hmm I was thinking of something a lil stronger. Begins with a B not a W." Derek said, his voice taking on a far more vicious tone.

"Well yeah, but still that's not the point." Booth sighed. "So did she talk to you about it, beyond telling you what happened?"

"Not really, but you know Meredith, you push too hard and she'll push back even harder and you'll be outside those damn walls before you can say subdural hematoma." Derek sighed.

"Subdural what? Jeese Der, sometimes you really are a science geek." Booth chuckled and Derek rolled his eyes indulgently at his friend.

"Yeah, yeah."

"So anyway, what you going to do about Meredith?" Booth asked.

"Wait for her to open up, she will eventually, but for now I'm just going to keep chipping at those walls till she lets me in for good." Derek smiled softly, his expression showing clearly how much he thought that his persistence would be worth in the long run.

"Sounds like a plan. Man those girls; they're not exactly easy are they? Definitely two of kind."

"Yup. But wouldn't life be dull if they weren't what they are?"

"Yup." Booth smiled. "Life is definitely far more fun with those two around. Wouldn't trade them for anything."

"Nope. So shall we?" Derek asked, indicating the door Meredith has gone through earlier.

"Yep, let's go." Booth replied smiling at his friend. "Oh and by the way that whole deep moment you just had? Geek!"

"Yeah, and you aren't the cheesiest man alive right now?" Derek chuckled, as he followed Booth into the Tempe's room, ignoring the mock look of anger on Seeley's face.

* * *

**Hey Guys and Dolls. I know, I know long time no see or is that write? Whatever *shakes head as mind attempts to go off on random tangent* (although clearly it has lol.) Where was I? Oh right, new chapter is here and the next one will be up soon, swear on my Patrick Dempsey and Johnny Depp calenders. Hee hee. Anyway enjoy, read and review. A xxxxxx**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: They will be mine one day, you'll see, you'll all see!!!!! (But until then......)

* * *

**The girls had been whispering quietly to each other when Booth and Derek entered, but upon seeing them, both stopped and turned to face and Meredith, smiling cheekily at them, commented,

"Ah here come the men-folk."

"Men-Folk?!" Booth and Derek sputtered, both fighting against the urge to laugh.

"Yup." Meredith said decisively, ignoring the muffled laughs of Booth and Derek.

"OK then." Booth said decisively and glancing at Derek out of the corner of his eye, his smiled mischievously. Immediately understanding the expression on his friend's face, Derek smiled and winked subtly at Booth, before splitting away from him and walking towards Meredith, as Booth moved towards Tempe.

"Yes our good, dependable little men-folk." Meredith explained, sharing a wicked look with Tempe, seemingly unaware of the movements of the two men towards them.

"Are you mocking me, young lady?" Derek asked, causing Meredith to jump slightly as he brought his nose level with her's, his blue eyes meeting her green/grey ones. Smiling innocently, Meredith nodded. "Well then...." He said, and suddenly pulling her from her seat he lifted her off her feet, and began twirling them around on the spot, Meredith's giggles immediately filling the room.

Meanwhile Booth had come and sat down with Tempe on the hospital bed, both smiling as they watched Derek and Meredith playing. As they continued to watch, Meredith suddenly reached down and began tickling any part of Derek that she could reach, and soon Booth heard soft giggles coming from beside him.

Grinning, he turned and looked at Tempe's smiling face.

"So you think that's funny do you?" He asked, placing a finger on Tempe's chin and lifting it up to where he could look into her sparkling blue eyes.

"Yes." Tempe replied simply.

"Oh really?" Booth clarified, and having received another nod, he simply nodded. "OK then," and he immediately began tickling her, though mindful of her injuries and current condition, he made sure not to be too rough with her.

Soon they were all breathless with laughter. Derek had put Meredith down and they were now curled up together on the chair where Meredith had previously been sitting. Booth and Tempe were still lying next to each other on the bed. Tempe was leaning calmly against Booth's chest, his arm wrapped securely around her shoulders.

Booth sighed softly, and tugged Tempe closer to him, before placing a tender kiss on her forehead. At the gesture, Tempe looked up at him, her expression slightly startled, but seeing the warmth in his chocolate brown eyes, she merely lifted a curious eyebrow and allowed a small smile to form before leaning back into his embrace.

The serenity of the moment was soon shattered.

* * *

A short time later as Derek began to pull away from Meredith, knowing that he needed to get back to work, there came a knock at the door. Squeezing Meredith's hand reassuringly, Derek quickly stood and walked towards the door. Pulling it open, he smiled at the young Nurse who was standing nervously in the doorway.

"Dr. Shepherd, there's someone here to see Miss Brennan. I told them that she wasn't allowed any visitors at this time, as you and Dr. Grey ordered, but they were very insistent."

Although Derek's eyebrow had raised slightly in amazement that Ellis Grey had openly agreed with and acknowledged his orders regarding Tempe's visitors, he quickly schooled his features back to normal, before turning back to face the occupants of the room. Seeing the nervousness on the girls' faces, Derek smiled at them both before turning back to address the Nurse.

"OK, Nurse Brown, give me a minute to finish checking Miss Brennan's vitals and I'll come and deal with this 'visitor'." Derek said.

"Great. Thanks, Dr. Shepherd." The Nurse replied before walking back down the corridor towards the Nurses' Station.

Closing the door again, Derek walked back towards the bed. Seeing how Tempe had tensed again, her face closing up as she tried to block out her emotions, Derek sighed, and shared a concerned look with Booth, before picking up her chart and examining the information laid out there. Noting the readings for her oxygen levels and heart rate, he walked over to the monitors that stood next to her bed. Quickly writing down a few readings, he then took out his stethoscope, warmed the instrument and placed it against her chest and back.

"Ok, I can still here some wheezing but your stats are still relatively stable so I'm just going to increase your oxygen flow for now and we'll keep an eye on it, ok?" Derek explained, whilst writing down a few more notes on the chart.

"Ok." Tempe replied quietly.

"Right then, I'm going to go and deal with this person at the Nurses' Station and then I will see you guys later." He paused and placed a gentle hand on Tempe's shoulder, "I don't want you to worry about this Tempe, you've got plenty of people fighting in your corner,"

"I don't know what that means. I don't have corners for someone to fight in." Tempe asked, her confusion evident in her voice.

"No-one is going to be able to hurt you whilst we're around." Derek explained, chuckling a little at Tempe's typical response to a slang reference. Then having leant down and whispered a quiet goodbye to Meredith, he left the room.

* * *

Casually walking up to the Nurses' Station, Derek immediately noticed the young woman standing nearby, her posture rigid, indicating her unease at her current location. Although suspecting that this was Tempe's visitor, Derek continued walking to where Nurse Brown was now working.

"Hi, Nurse Brown." He said, picking up a nearby chart and quickly flicking through it.

"Hey, Dr. Shepherd. You want to speak to Miss Brennan's visitor?" The young Nurse asked.

"Yeah." He paused. "Is that her over there?" He asked, indication the nervous young woman. Following his gaze, Nurse Brown smiled and nodded. "Thanks." He said, before placing the chart he had been holding back down onto the station and moving over to the woman he had noticed earlier.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Shepherd, I'm one of the doctor's working on Miss Brennan's case." He said, introducing himself to the unknown woman. "I was told you wanted to speak to her?"

"Yes. I'm Lucy Hyde, one of the lawyers working on behalf of the prosecution in the case against Ian Cartridge. Is there any chance that I could see her?" Ms. Hyde inquired.

Derek looked at her sympathetically, seeing the genuine concern about Tempe's condition hidden beneath her professional attitude and questions.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Hyde but Miss Brennan is still not well enough to receive any visitors, if it's urgent I can ask her if she's up to seeing you but if not I'm afraid you'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"It is important that I see her today so if you could ask her if she's willing to see me, I would be very grateful." Ms. Hyde said.

"OK, I'll go ask her, if you'll excuse me for a moment." Derek said, politely excusing himself.

* * *

About ten minutes had passed and Lucy Hyde, feeling uncomfortable standing in the corridor, had sat down in one of the uncomfortable plastic seats that were placed opposite the Nurses' Station. Trying to ignore her feelings of unease at being in a hospital, she instead began to leaf through the file that she had brought with her regarding her current case.

"Ms. Hyde?" Came the voice of Dr. Shepherd, causing her to jump slightly. "Sorry I didn't mean to make you jump." He apologised.

"It's alright, Dr. Shepherd." Lucy said, quickly calming down. "So has she agreed to see me?" She asked.

"Yes, she has. Would you care to follow me?" Derek replied, indicating that she follow him down the corridor towards Tempe's room.

* * *

**Ok so wow we're almost at twenty chapters. This one was going to be longer but I wanted to get something up today so voila. Next chapter should be up in the next few days since I'm already writing it. No promises but a big cross fingers on my part that its easier to write than some of my other chapters lol. A xxxxxx**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: If I owned this I wouldn't be staring at a load of student debt and wanting to cry now would I?

* * *

**"Come in." A voice called from inside the room.

After hearing the acknowledgment from inside the room, Derek opened the door and gestured for Lucy to enter, and then smiling briefly at Temperance, he closed the door. Leaning against the closed door, Derek took a deep breath and prayed that the meeting would bring good news, before continuing on his rounds.

* * *

Upon entering the small hospital room, Lucy quickly glanced about her, immediately recognising each of the room's occupants. Meredith Grey was sat in a chair that had been pulled up to one side of the bed, whilst Seeley Booth had pulled his chair up to the opposite side of the bed. Their gesture of protection and support was obvious to the lawyer, as she saw how in addition to flanking the girl lying on the bed, they had both ensured that they were within arm's reach of Temperance should she need them. Her experienced eye also took in the IV's and monitors which remained attached to her young client, although to her relief she noted that Temperance's breathing and colour had improved since the previous day. Then, having reassured herself about the health of her client, Lucy quickly adopted a professional manner, although she still felt the need to confirm for herself that Temperance was indeed recovering from her most recent ordeal, before dealing with the reason she had come to begin with.

"So are you feeling better?" Lucy asked politely, her aloof manner concealing her genuine concern.

"Yes." Temperance replied blandly.

Lucy watched her, feeling a strong sense of unease. "Good, that's good." She paused and silently thanked whoever might be listening that she had news that should help alleviate the feelings of unease and worry, that were choking the occupants of the room. "Right, well down to business. I've spoken with the Judge and the Defence team who are assigned to this case and they've agreed, based on your medical condition and the point which you had reached in your testimony and questioning, that you will not be required to be present in court again, unless of course you choose to observe the case yourself." Then having finished what she wished to say, she smiled at the relieved look which had appeared on Temperance's face.

"That's great, isn't it, Bones?" Booth said excitedly, causing Lucy to smile at both the excitement and relief in his voice and his affectionate use of an albeit strange nickname.

"Yeah it's great, it really is." Temperance murmured, obviously struggling with the suddeness of the situation.

"It's over, Bones and soon that b*****d will be rotting in a jail cell where he belongs." Booth said vindictively, hatred and anger pouring off him.

"Yeah Tempe, everything is going to be alright now, kay?" Meredith said softly, her hand squeezing Temperance's gently, conveying all her concern and support.

Seeing Meredith's actions, Lucy stepped back, almost feeling like she was intruding in a sacred moment, especially when Booth also took Temperance's hand into one of his own and ran his other tenderly through her hair, his actions obviously soothing the poor girl. However even as she felt like an intruder, a part was also extremely grateful to see the love and support that was been given to this unfortunate child, whom Lucy deeply sympathised with, considering the hell that she had obviously been through with that monster, who had so calmly sat in the court room during the entirity of the case so far.

Finally having given the group a few minutes to digest her news, together, she stepped forward and moved closer to the hospital bed and looked down at the frail form lying there. As she gathered her thoughts, Temperance suddenly lifted her head and blue eyes met surprised grey ones.

"Thanks."

"For what?" Lucy asked her confusion clearly evident.

"For everything." Temperance answered simply. She hesitated for a moment and then taking a deep breath, she began to explain. "For believing me, for fighting for me, and for those other girls, for helping to make sure that he could never hurt anyone again. For everything." She paused again and locked eyes with Lucy once again, whilst also reaching for the woman's hand. "Thank you, it's not enough, but thank you." And having said this Temperance gripped Lucy's hand tightly, her actions conveying everything that she was unable to express.

Biting back tears, Lucy smiled warmly.

"You're welcome." And then with a final squeeze of Temperance's hand, she turned and began walking towards the door. However, as she was reaching for the handle a thought suddenly occurred to her and she turned back to face the group, who immediately turned to look at her.

"Look I don't normally do this, make promises when I can't be sure of the outcome, but I promise you this, this scumbag will rot in jail for the rest of his life. The jury is on your side, I can see it; they can see your injuries and his indifference to them and after what happened in court, they won't even consider the slight possibility that you could be lying about who attacked you so savagely. So trust me, he is not coming away from this a free man." And with that Lucy nodded decisively and left the room.

"Thank you." Temperance whispered at the retreating figure of the Lawyer, before leaning into Booth's chest, who climbed onto the bed with her almost as soon as Lucy turned to leave the room, and allowing tears of relief to begin falling.

* * *

A few days later, they got the news, Guilty on all charges with a minimum sentence of twenty years based on the multiple accounts of abuse and the one attempted murder charge which had been levied against him based on Tempe's injuries and statement of the situation which had led to her being abandoned outside of Boston General Hospital.

* * *

"Please Derek; please convince them to let me go home." Tempe pleaded with a thoroughly unconvinced Derek. Seeing that Derek still wore a stoic look of indifference to her plea, Tempe decided to try a different tactic. "You know logically there's no reason to keep me here any longer, I've been free from any medications for over 36 hours, and I'm no longer dependent on oxygen so you've no real reason to keep me here, since without a dependence on medication or oxygen I would be perfectly capable of returning home."

Derek rolled his eyes slightly, not at all surprised by Tempe's argument but once again impressed by the sheer breadth of her knowledge and understanding.

"Ok, here's the deal Tempe. You stay here for one more day, one more day in which we monitor your oxygen levels and ensure that all your scans are clear and then once we've checked all that, Dr. Grey has said that you can be discharged, but," he said seeing Tempe's excited face, "You will still be on limited activities once you return home, ok? Not strictly bed-rest but no school, no going out."

"Ok, ok I understand." Tempe agreed readily, willing to do anything just to be allowed out of the hospital.

"Alright then." Derek said, smiling at the eagerness in Tempe's expression whilst also grateful that he knew that Meredith and Booth would make sure that she followed Doctor's orders once she returned home, since he knew that she most likely would be breaking them as soon as she believed she was well enough to do so, rather than when he believed she was well enough. "Ok I've got to get back to my other patients. Do you know when Meredith and Booth are coming back?" Both individuals notably absent from the room.

"Mer should be back in about an hour, her lessons will be done soon and Booth's said he'd be back after 4. He really needed a shower and a change of clothes." Tempe said, screwing her nose up as she recalled Booth's ripe scent, since although he had been home a few times since she had been re-admitted, he had only left long enough to get a change of clothes and come back. His stench had finally forced Tempe to order him home to shower and shave, although she had only managed that by promising not to even think of leaving the room whilst he was gone. Inwardly she rolled her eyes as she remembered that little promise he'd gotten out of her.

"Ok, good then. You going to be ok till then?" Derek asked.

"Yes, I'll be fine, I'm quite capable of looking after myself you know, I don't know why everyone seems to think that I can't." Tempe said, pouting childishly.

Derek merely cocked an eyebrow and shook his head, resisting the temptation to remind her of how the last time she had refused to rely on Meredith or Booth; she had ended up in hospital again. Shaking his head again, Derek simply smiled again and left the room, failing to note the figure that snuck into the room as he began walking down the corridor.

* * *

After Derek left the room, Tempe had shifted her focus onto the TV in the corner of the room, flipping through the channels until she came upon what looked like an old medical series. As she watched a character named Hawkeye walked into a room full of injured patients, dressed in a tuxedo and wearing flippers on his feet. Chuckling at the scene, Tempe settled in to watch the show.

Suddenly a soft click alerted her to the fact that she was no longer alone, and she turned to speak to her visitor, a grin on her face,

"I thought I told you to....." She trailed off as she recognised her 'visitor', the grin instantly leaving her face.

"Oh it's so nice to see that you recognise me Miss Temperance Brennan, cos now you're going to pay for everything that you've done to my family." A spiteful and cruel voice stated.

* * *

**Yes I know, this is a bit of cruel place to leave it but its 1 in the morning and I'm tired. I could keep going but I felt like being a bit mean. Sorry. (well I'm only a little bit, part of me likes leaving you all on a bit of a cliffie. as a friend of mine would say I'm doing it for Lol's.) And yes for anybody who may have noticed (you might not of of course) she is watching MASH which is one of my fave ever shows. Hawkeye rocks. Woo. Lol. Ok caffeine and sugar are doing weird things to me so I'm going to stop here. Enjoy and review please. A xxxxxxxx**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: If I owned them, then I wouldn't need to include this disclaimer now would I? It's simple logic isn't it. (Unfortunately.)

* * *

**Russ was whistling cheerfully, as he wandered down the hospital corridors to visit Tempe. Although he had originally been terrified to learn that his little sister was once again in the hospital, the reassurances of both Booth and Meredith, who had each rung on the night that she had been admitted and also regularly after that, ensured that his fears were soon laid to rest and he was now happy in the knowledge that she was on the mend. Having phoned Meredith the night before, Russ knew that Tempe was still in the hospital, but that she was expected to be discharged within the next few days.

Still whistling, but not as loudly, Russ walked casually up to the Nurses' Station.

* * *

"Hi, could I get the room number for Temperance Brennan, please?" He cheerfully asked the Nurse, who was standing behind the counter, "I'm her brother, Russ Brennan." He explained, neither noticing the sudden interest of a woman, sitting in a nearby chair, as she heard Russ' question.

"I'm sorry but I can't tell you that without some form of identification confirming that you are who you say you are. It is hospital policy, Sir." The Nurse explained politely yet firmly.

"No worries, here you go." Russ said simply, handing over his I.D.

"Thank you for your co-operation, Mr. Brennan. You'd be surprised how many people object to being asked for identification when visiting their relatives. It is for the patient's protection though, so they should be grateful that we are so conscientious about the safety of their relatives."

"Don't worry, Nurse Brown," Russ said, reading the Nurse's nametag. "I understand completely."

Nurse Brown smiled gratefully. "Well Mr. Brennan, your sister is in room 3403, which is just down the hall and to the left."

"Thanks." And turning in the direction, which she pointed, Russ began walking down the corridor towards his sister's room.

* * *

As Russ was turning round the corridor, someone suddenly called out to him.

"Mr. Brennan?"

"Yes?" He asked curiously, turning to face the direction from which the voice had come, immediately seeing a man standing beside him. "Do I know you?"

"No, you don't but I'm your sister's doctor, Dr. Shepherd." The man said introducing himself. "I recognised you from the picture that Tempe has." Derek explained.

"Oh hi. It's nice to meet you, Dr. Shepherd. Both Tempe and Meredith have told me a lot about you, all good things I assure you. You treated my sister the last time that she was here too, didn't you?" Russ asked.

"Yes I did." Derek replied, holding out his hand to shake Russ'.

"So how is Tempe doing?" Russ asked.

"She's recovering well, I'm sure Meredith has explained the treatment we gave her upon her being admitted here?" At Russ' nod, Derek continued. "Well we've weaned her off the medication which we had given her to break up the blood clot and prevent any new ones forming, and she is now no longer dependent on an O2 tube, so we're hoping to discharge her tomorrow."

"That's great; Meredith told me that she thought that Tempe would be discharged soon." Russ said, happily. "So is it ok for me to go and see her?"

"Yeah of course, in fact I'm sure she will be very happy to see you, I think she's a bit desperate for company at this point." Seeing Russ' slightly confused expression, Derek continued. "Meredith's at school and apparently Booth smelt so bad that Tempe sent him home for a change of clothes and a shower." Derek chuckled. "Anyway she's already been basically climbing the walls in the last few days and being alone today has just made her even worse."

Russ laughed. "That sounds like Tempe. She's never been very good at staying still for very long, especially once she gets bored, which usually happens about twenty seconds after you tell her to sit still. I bet she's been driving you all crazy trying to get her to stay in bed?" Russ asked, grinning as he saw Derek's nod. "Yeah Mom and Dad always used to say.... well they always said that once she chose to focus that energy on something, then she would be great at it because she had so much energy and curiosity, but that until then we'd never get her to sit still for more than twenty seconds at time and that it was better to just try and entertain her." Russ explained a wry smile on his face.

Derek smiled in return, tactfully ignoring Russ' hesitation as he accidentally mentioned his parents, but extremely amused by Russ' description of Tempe as a young girl.

"Yeah well I better get down there before she gets too bored and starts climbing the walls again." Russ said, a mischievous grin on his face, the awkwardness of the earlier moment lessening in the face of Russ' smile.

"Sounds good and I'm sure the Nurses will thank you for it." Derek replied laughingly, before shaking Russ' hand again and walking off to speak to a nearby Doctor, leaving Russ to continue walking down the hall towards Tempe's room.

* * *

Impatiently, Russ once again jiggled the door handle. When he had reached Tempe's room, he had found that the door was locked, something which hadn't initially seemed strange to him until Tempe failed to respond to his calls.

"Tempe? Tempe, are you in there? Open the door, Tempe." He shouted, pounding on the door as he tried to get Tempe to open the door, but as the minutes continued to pass and he received no response to his increasingly frantic shouting and knocking, he began to worry. Pausing in his actions for a second, Russ heard a slight shifting sound from inside the room and called his sister's name again. However when he still heard nothing from her, he began to push against the door, almost hysterical in his attempts to get to his sister, knowing that something was happening to his sister inside that room. Still trying to break into the room, he soon attracted the attention of the people who filled the surrounding corridors.

"Sir? Sir? What's wrong?" Please Sir; you're disturbing the other patients." Nurse Brown asked, trying to pull Russ away from the door, having come down to the room when she heard the sounds coming from that direction.

"Please, something's going on in there. The door is locked and my sister's not responding, which isn't normal for her, she would usually be yelling at me by now for the racket that I'm making and she's not, so please will you help me get in there! Please!" Russ pleaded urgently.

Seeing the terrified expression on his face and recognising the desperation in his voice, Nurse Brown let her hand fall away from his arm and quickly turned away and ran to get help.

* * *

Meanwhile Russ continued pushing against the door, almost fainting with relief as he felt it finally begin to give way. Giving one last shove against the fractured wood, the door finally gave way and Russ instantly rushed through the gap.

"What the hell..." Russ shouted, sputtering to halt as his brain registered the scene in front of him. Tempe was being held against the bed by a woman who was pressing a knife against her throat.

* * *

Upon hearing the door break open, both women had immediately turned to face the intruder. Tempe's eyes had moved to lock with her brother's, her expression terrified and begging for him to help her. The eyes of the woman holding Tempe down, were deranged, filled with hatred, insanity clearly evident in her twisted features.

Seeing his little sister in danger, Russ reacted with a speed he didn't know he had and quickly dragged the woman off of Tempe, pulling her as far away from the bed as he could.

As the pair fought for control, Russ managed to knock the knife out of her hand, the clattering of the metal against the floor echoing through the small room. Even without her weapon, the woman continued to struggle, Russ still trying to subdue the disturbed woman, only letting go when two orderlies rushed into the room and wrestled the woman away from him. Finally gained the upper hand, the two men pulled the woman out of the room, leaving Russ struggling to catch his breath as he lay up against the wall opposite Tempe's bed.

Eventually pulling himself up, fighting against the exhaustion which had suddenly filled him, Russ staggered over to the bed where Tempe still lay. Throughout Russ' fight with the woman, she had remained silent, her eyes unfocused and unseeing, but as Russ approached the bed he saw silent tears begin to stream down her face. Seeing these tears, Russ swiftly sat down on the bed and pulled her into his arms. His own tears soon began to fall, as brother and sister clung to each other, both realising how close they had come to loosing each other again.

Time passed and as Tempe relaxed further into her brother's embrace, her crying increased and she finally released all the fear and pain that she had been feeling since that first day in Ian Cartridge's home.

* * *

**Ok so I know this is a little late but I went to this special showing of a Queen concert which was filmed in September and didn't get home till late. It was amazing by the way, Brian May rocks. Woo. So anyway I hope all desires to kill me have now lessened, see not even a scratch on her and Super Russ to the rescue. Yay. I always wanted Russ to do some big brother things for Tempe but he never really has, ah well. Hope you all liked it. Read and review. A xxxxxx**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: Borrowed the characters for my story but I'm sure they're having more fun with me anyway. lol.  
**

* * *

"_Help me!"

* * *

_"Tempe!" Booth shouted, jumping awake, the images of his dreams still clear in his mind. Shakily he ran a hand through his hair, expecting to see Tempe lying next to him in her hospital bed but instead he found himself facing his bedroom walls. Still haunted by the images in his dreams, he quickly sat up and glanced around the room, and then realising that he was still in a towel, and that he must have dozed off after he got out of the shower, he heaved a sigh of relief, stood up from the bed and quickly moved towards his closet to grab some clean clothes.

"Seeley?" Carol Booth called from behind the closed door, knocking gently against the painted wood.

"Yeah, Mom?" He replied, pulling a shirt over his head and opening his bedroom door. "What's up?" He said uncertainly, after seeing the paleness of his mother's features and the scared expression in her eyes.

"Seeley, Dr. Shepherd just called, I think you need to get back to the hospital as soon as you can." Carol explained carefully, watching her son's face pale with anger, as she explained what Derek had just told her.

"God damn it, not again. Why does this keep happening to her? I knew I shouldn't have left her, but she kept insisting and now look..." He ranted as he charged down the stairs and into his car, leaving almost immediately after hearing his mother's brief explanation of what had happened to Tempe. "If I had just stayed awake and not fallen asleep, I could have been there to help her." He revved the engine and quickly sped down the road back towards the hospital, his thoughts rapidly shifting from one terrible image to the next.

* * *

Tempe was still wrapped tightly in Russ' arms, and although she was now dozing fitfully, the earlier events having drained what little energy she had, the evidence of her tears still showed on her pale face.

"Tempe?" A tentative voice called from the door.

"Dr. Shepherd?" Russ replied, lifting his head from where it had been lying against Tempe's sleeping one. The dark-headed doctor nodded quickly and quietly entered the room, pushing the door closed behind him. "She's sleeping." Russ explained gently, trying not to wake Tempe as he shifted her slightly, allowing her to lie more comfortably against him.

"That's probably best. I just wanted to let you know that the police are here to speak to you both, but I've told them to wait until she's awoken by herself." Derek explained, still keeping his voice low so as to ensure that he didn't wake Tempe, who was still dozing. Derek sighed again, his mind basically running on auto-pilot, as it struggled to understand what had once again happened to Tempe.

"Did you call Booth?" Russ suddenly asked, interrupting Derek's thoughts, speaking again, once he saw Derek's nod. "Good, that's good. She'll want him here when she wakes up."

"Yeah that's what I thought. I managed to talk to his mother when I rang and she promised to tell him and get him here as soon as possible, so I'm sure he's tearing down the highways as we speak." Derek said, smiling grimly as he imagined Booth's actions on yet another awful day.

"Dr. Shepherd?" A voice from the previously closed door called softly, causing Derek to immediately stand and walk towards the small nurse, who was leaning in through the gap. Bending down slightly, he listened as the nurse quickly whispered into his ear.

"Ok, I'll be right there." Derek replied and then indicated that she could leave. "Russ, Meredith just got here, so I'm going to go and explain all this to her, ok? Otherwise she might hear of this through the hospital grapevine and that is not the way that she should hear about it." Derek said.

"Yeah, that's sounds like a good idea. I think Tempe needs to sleep for a little longer, so I'll stay with her whilst you go and speak to Meredith. Keep an eye out for Booth too, I think you should try and make sure you speak to him too before he sees Tempe. I don't want her getting upset again, even if Booth wouldn't intentionally upset her."

"Good idea." Derek then quickly checked Tempe's vitals, pausing briefly to squeeze Russ' shoulder, before turning away and heading for the door. "Right they all look great, so I'll be back soon, hopefully with two relatively calm friends in tow."

* * *

"Mer?" Derek called softly, gently squeezing her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly as she turned to face him.

"Derek? Derek, what is going on here? They won't let me in to see Tempe, they just said that I had to wait for you to come and get me. Derek, will you PLEASE tell me what the HELL IS GOING ON?!!!" Meredith demanded, standing up and placing her hands on her hips in her most threatening manner.

"Mer, sit down, please. It's about Tempe." Derek said softly, easing Meredith down and taking her small hand in his.

* * *

Staring at his hands, which were still wrapped tightly around the steering wheel, Booth took a deep breath and let his head fall forward slowly to rest against his hands. He had reached the hospital in record time but having parked the car, he suddenly felt overwhelmed and had remained sitting in the car.

Suddenly a voice and a knock against the side window made him jump.

"Hey mate, you going or staying, cos if you're going, I wouldn't mind having your space."

Rolling down his window, Booth smiled weakly at the older gentleman standing there, "Sorry I'm staying, just needed a minute before I went in."

"No worries, I understand. I hope your girlfriend feels better." The man said, smiling kindly before ambling back to his car.

"Tha....What girlfriend, wait how did you know it wasn't family that I was visiting?" He tried asking, getting out his car and moving towards the other man's car, but the gentleman merely smiled at him and drove off.

Booth stared at the rapidly disappearing car, shaking his head in confusion, before taking a deep breath and walking towards the main entrance of the hospital.

* * *

Upon entering the hospital, Booth paused, staring round himself at the usual bustle and crowds that still continued to fill the corridors. It also seemed strange that there should be people filling the corridors, that instead the hospital should reflect the pain and misery that was currently filling him. However, shrugging his shoulders in a desperate attempt to gain some courage, he continued down the corridor in the direction of Tempe's room, praying that she would be alright when he got there.

As he turned the corridor, he spotted Meredith and Derek and it felt as though his heart had stopped beating. Meredith's face was turned in his direction and although her gaze was focussed on Derek, from his position Booth could see that her pale face was streaked with tears. Staggering slightly, he lurched forward towards the pair, terror coursing through his veins at the thought of what might have happened to Tempe.

Seeing him, Derek instantly stood up and grasped his arm, gently guiding him into the nearby chair.

"She's ok, Seeley, she's a bit shaken up and drained but she's fine." Derek quickly assured him and Meredith, who was still wiping away the remnants of the tears that had been coursing down her cheeks earlier in relief rather than misery, also sat down next to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. As he felt himself calm, Seeley lifted his head and looked directly at Derek, his gaze firm and determined.

"What the HELL happened, Derek?"

"To be honest Seeley, we're not entirely sure."

"What do you mean, 'you're not entirely sure'? She was attacked, Derek, here in the hospital, a place where she was supposed to be safe, I mean how did that woman even know where her room was?" Booth asked, desperately trying to keep control of his temper.

"Look Seeley, there's no point getting angry at Derek, I know that you're angry, I am too, but all we need to know is that Tempe is safe, she's not hurt in any way and the bitch who tried to do this to her is in jail and there is no way that she'll get away with what she tried to do." Meredith said, stepping between the two men and speaking as calmly as she could.

"You're right, Mer, I'm sorry, Derek. It's just...you know." Booth said uncomfortably, his anger diminishing instantly, his entire posture demonstrating his unease. Derek merely smiled kindly.

"No worries, I understand completely, I mean I care about Tempe too and if it was Mer..." He trailed off and slipped an arm around Meredith's slim shoulders, needing to feel her solid presence. Booth nodded.

"So can we see her?" He asked.

"Sure, let's go."

* * *

**Ok I'm sorry for the major delay, very busy december, birthdays (including mine ;- and xmas) meant very little time to write. This chapter has actually been done for a week but I was away with no internet (sob) and couldn't post it till today. Ah well it's here now and hopefully there will be more up by this time next week. Hope you all had good xmas's and new year and any other celebrations you may have celebrated and enjoyed this chapter. Read and Review please, I'm sooooooo close to 100 reviews so how bout u guys help me out. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease, ;-) A xxxxxx  
**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I have student loans, an overdraft and any number of things I wish I could buy, so tell me do I look like I own Bones? No well then.

* * *

**"Booth, can't breathe!" Tempe gasped, pushing against Booth's strong embrace.

"'m sorry," Booth muttered, his face still buried in her hair, and his arms locked tightly around her. "Sorry." He murmured again after feeling Tempe's continued struggles, causing him to finally loosen his grip on her. "Better?"

"Uh-huh." She replied, smiling against his shoulder as she relaxed into his embrace. After a while she pulled her head away from his chest. "You know you can let me go now, Booth" She stated firmly after noticing that Booth was still holding onto her.

"Nope."

"Seeley Booth if you don't let me go right now, I'll....."

"You'll what?" Booth asked, smiling cheekily, pulling back slightly to look at her. Tempe paused and she pouted pathetically, causing Booth's smile to grow even wider. As he continued to watch her as she tried to come up with a reason as to why he should let her go, Booth sighed in relief and then pulling her back into a close embrace, he brushed a sweet kiss across the top of her head.

"Booth?" Tempe asked, lifting her head from where it had been lying against his chest.

"Yeah?" He asked, moving his head so as to look at her face, waiting for her to speak, expecting an extremely logical argument as to why he should be letting her go. Tempe, however, did not speak immediately but instead lifted her hand to his cheek, rubbing her fingers against the smooth skin she felt there.

"You shaved?" She asked softly, still stroking his cheek.

"Yeah, just like you told me too." Seeley said, his heart beating wildly at her gentle caresses, his mind struggling to focus on anything beyond the sensation.

"You smell good too, much better than before, before you really smelled...bad." She finished half-heartedly, her hand moving across his forehead as she continued her gentle explorations.

"Er...thanks."

"You're welcome." Tempe smiled up at him, her crystal blue eyes meeting his chocolate brown ones. Seeley smiled down at her in response, his expression softening even more as they continued to gaze at one another. Slowly, as though afraid that he would startle her, Booth raised his hand and laid it against her cheek, mirroring where she had laid her hand against his face. Her eyes remained locked with his own, their blue depths shining with trust, their sparkle urging him on. Gently leaning in, Booth paused just before his lips met hers, their breath mingling as each breathed the other in.

"Seeley, Derek and I just wanted to.....oh. Oh my god, I'm sorry. I didn't realise and we just wanted to and you were just and I...Oh god...and anyway I'm leaving now cos obviously I interrupted and right, leaving that's me, going." Meredith said, her eyes wide and her cheeks flaming in embarrassment as she realised what she had interrupted when she had barged into the room.

The pair had jumped apart in surprise when they heard the door slam open, but smiling ironically at each other, they turned to face Meredith, who was turning to leave as quickly as she entered, her eyes studiously trying to ignore the pair.

"No, stay Mer, I'm sure Tempe wants to see you, just as much as you want to see her." Booth said, and then placing a finger under Tempe's chin, he turned her face back to meet his. "Later." He mouthed and placing a kiss on her forehead, he moved away, allowing Meredith to come up to the bed. Smiling gratefully at Booth, Meredith ran to the bed and pulled Tempe into a tight hug.

* * *

"God Tempe," Meredith said, a while later. "What happened? Who was she?"

Tempe sighed heavily and looked around the room. Derek and Russ were sat next to each other on chairs that stood next to the bed, whereas Meredith and Booth were sat on the bed with her. Meredith was perched next to her, still clutching Tempe's hand in her own, whilst Booth was leaning against the bars at the end of the bed, his gaze never leaving Tempe.

"Her name is Jill Cartridge, she was my Foster Mother, she...she said that she was here to finish what her husband started, that I deserved the beatings he gave me and that the only thing that he ever did wrong was to not kill me when he had the chance. She said that I'd ruined her life and her husband's and that I had to pay for that." Tempe finished, tears once again beginning to shine in her eyes. "If it hadn't of been for Russ....I don't..." Through her tears, Tempe smiled at her brother. "Thank you."

"Hey it was nothing; I was just in the right place at the right time, for once." Russ said sardonically, brushing off Meredith's and Derek's thanks.

Booth, however, remained silent. His face was full of anger and Meredith, glancing at him briefly shuddered at the expression.

* * *

**Ok, short chapter I know but I wanted to get something up and since its after 1 in the morning this is as far as I could get. Anyway next chapter should be up soon, since its started, well at least in my mind which is close enough. lol. Anyways I'm dozing off here so hope you all enjoy this chapter, I like it more than the last one but mainly cos of that BB moment I slipped in there. Maybe if I get some nice reviews I'll put another one in the next chapter? hehehehe did that sound like blackmail? oops. Well since I'm nice I can tell you that an extra special loverly BB moment is coming. Promise. Anywho Read and Review. A xxxxxxxx**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: Hey if I owned it then we would have had major kissing in last week's ep, since there wasn't then it still mustn't belong to me, sigh.

* * *

**The last rays of the setting sun reflected serenely on the calm water of the Atlantic Ocean, as two couples walked together along the sands.

Meredith smiled as Derek pulled her closer as they paused to gaze out across the sea.

"Hmm, this is nice." She murmured, laying her head against his firm chest. Derek hummed in response and raising his hand, he ran it softly through her golden hair.

They stood that way for while, content to remain in each other's arms when suddenly a shout caused them to break apart.

"Booth!" Tempe screamed from where she now sat shivering in the water, glaring up at Booth, who was standing on the shore laughing hysterically. "You're gonna pay for that Seeley Booth, just you wait and see!" She snarled, desperately trying to stand up on the slippery sand. Booth merely shrugged innocently, a charming smile on his face; when suddenly he felt someone shove him and he fell forward into the cold sea water.

"Ha, serves you right," Tempe yelled, immediately jumping on top of Booth, holding him down as Meredith watched nearby, a smug expression on her face. "Thanks, Mer." Tempe called happily.

"No problem Tempe, Booth should know better than to mess with us!"

"Indeed." Derek said, whispering into her ear as he slipped his arms around her from behind. "So do we help them or leave them to it whilst we head up to that hill?" He said, indicating the hill they had originally been heading to.

"Hmm, I say leave them here," Mer replied, ignoring Tempe's indignant "MER!!"

"Sounds good to me." Derek said, looping his arm round her dainty shoulders as he lead her away, both desperately trying to maintain a straight face until they were out of sight, at which time they both burst out laughing.

* * *

They had decided to spend the day at the beach as a way to celebrate Tempe's cast being removed, and now as the sun sank beneath the horizon, the two couples sat tiredly together on a hill, looking at the length of the beach that they had walked along earlier.

Tempe sighed happily as she leaned back into Booth's strong embrace, his warm arms holding her securely to him. In the past few weeks, their relationship had slowly deepened and she now felt a sense of peace flowing through her that she had not felt in a long time. Sighing again, she allowed herself to slip deeper into his warmth. They had all enjoyed their day and although she was sad that the day was coming to a close, she felt secure in the knowledge that similar days could be spent together in the future.

"Tempe?" Mer called.

"Yeah?" Tempe replied, turning her head slightly to look at her friend.

"Derek and I were thinking of heading back to that restaurant we saw earlier to get some dinner? You guys coming?" Mer asked, standing up next to Derek.

Booth leaned down to look at Tempe, raising an eyebrow in question to which Tempe responded to with a nod.

"Sounds good." Booth replied for them, shifting away from Tempe so that he could stand first, before leaning back down to help Tempe up, her leg still stiff even after it had been freed from the cast.

* * *

"For god's sake, Bones, stop pushing me away!" Booth yelled, his face full of frustration. "This is getting ridiculous, what the hell is your problem?"

"My problem? I don't have problems, Seeley Booth, just because I'm not clinging to you every second of the day like a little girl, always letting you take care of me, it doesn't mean I'm pushing you away. I don't need someone to watch over me, I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself without you going all alpha male on me!" Tempe screamed, her pale face flushed with anger.

"I know you can take care of yourself, I mean you see fit to remind me that at every chance you get, but what you forget is that people want to help you and it is ok to let them." Booth sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Walking towards Tempe, he lifted a hand and stroked it gently down her face, staring into the blue eyes that shone with unshed tears. "I know you care about me as much as I care about you, so why are you pushing me away?" Booth asked, his eyes pleading for her to respond but instead Tempe remained quiet. "Fine." He said and placing a kiss on his forehead, he turned and sadly walked away. Placing a hand on the door, he paused briefly and turned slightly back towards where Tempe remained standing. "I love you, Temperance Brennan, remember that."

As soon as she heard the door click shut, Tempe collapsed onto the floor, tears pouring down her pale cheeks as sobs wracked her small frame. If Booth had still been in the room he would have heard her whispered words.

"I love you too."

* * *

**Oooooh now what on earth could be wrong with Tempe this time? hehehehe guess you'll just have to wait and see. Lucky for you guys I'm basically snowed in so I should be able to get the next bit up far sooner than this one which gave me a little trouble. This story is coming to a close I'm afraid, a few more chapters and then I think we'll be done. But hey you never know, I may change my mind. :-). Anywho I hope you all like this, review please, they feed musie something chronic. toodles. A xxxxx**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: Alas, alac I do not own these characters. Darn.

* * *

**"Tempe? Tempe?" Meredith called as she entered the house a few hours later. Wandering into the living room, she quickly glanced around searching for her friend. At first she didn't notice Tempe but when she did she quickly ran over.

"Tempe? Tempe what's wrong?" She asked, kneeling down in front of Tempe, who was curled up in the corner next to the empty fireplace. "Talk to me, please!" She entreated, as Tempe continued staring silently ahead, tears still making their way down her cheeks. "Ok, Ok it's ok." Meredith murmured, pulling Tempe into a comforting hug.

They sat that way for a while, Meredith whispering soothingly in Tempe's ear, until her tears gradually began to lessen.

"You ready to tell me what's wrong?" Mer asked, as the pair leaned back against the wall, staring at the empty room.

"We had a fight."

"Who had a fight? You and Booth?" Mer asked confused. Tempe nodded. "What did you fight about?"

Tempe hesitated, unsure of how to explain. "It's nothing really, just a misunderstanding." Tempe said, trying to shrug off the impact which the fight had had on her. Meredith merely looked sceptical.

"Oh really, nothing huh? So nothing is the reason that you were sitting here crying your eyes out?"

"I wasn't crying my eyes out, that isn't even possible anyway. I mean how could you possibly cry your eyes out?" Tempe demanded.

"It's just an expression, Tempe and you're avoiding the subject. I know you Tempe, so why don't you just tell me what's bothering you. You've been acting strange ever since Booth..." She paused, understanding suddenly dawning, "ever since Booth got his acceptance letter to Quantico. Oh Tempe, why didn't just tell him?"

"Tell him what?" Tempe replied stubbornly.

"Tell him that you're frightened of losing him." Meredith explained calmly, knowing that Tempe was still going to deny this statement, even if it was true.

"I am not frightened of losing him. Booth is just a friend anyway and he's only going to Quantico and that's not even that far away especially if I go to a College nearby." Tempe explained logically, desperately trying to ignore the feelings of misery and panic that threatened to overwhelm her every time she thought of Booth leaving. "It's not like I'm not used to people leaving me anyway, why should Booth leaving be any different?" She mumbled, laying her head on her knees, tears once again threatening to fall.

"Oh Tempe, he's not leaving you." Meredith said, having heard Tempe's muttered words.

"Psft. Whatever."

"Oh I get it."Meredith said, resisting the temptation to scoff at Tempe's actions. "You decided that rather than let him leave and hurt you, you'd push him away first, am I right?"

"Maybe."

"Uh-huh. Well I guess you've got your wish Tempe, he's gone but can you tell me if it hurts any less that you pushed him away first?" She paused and looked at Tempe's tears. "I guess it doesn't." She heaved herself up. "Just think about it Tempe, think about how hard it'll be for you to lose him for good and then think what you can do to stop that from happening."

* * *

Booth wandered aimlessly along the harbour, the lapping of the waves against the boats soothing his troubled mind. Once again, his mind was filled with thoughts of Temperance and her attempts to push him away and he almost growled in sheer frustration at her stubbornness.

"Hey, man."

"Hey, Derek, Meredith call you?" Booth asked, turning around to face his friend, who wore a slightly sheepish grin on his face. "Thought so, but I am impressed that you knew where to find me, how did you know?"

"Tempe mentioned to Mer once that you liked watching the boats when you were growing up and when she mentioned it to me, I thought about this place. I come here myself to watch the boats when I need to unwind, although it's a shame that there aren't any ferry boats." Derek sighed, causing Booth to chuckle, Derek's obsession with ferry boats now being well known.

For a while, the pair walked along the harbour, occasionally commenting on the types of boats and some of the more outrageous names. Finally after they reached the end of the harbour, Derek turned to his friend and began to speak.

"I guess this is what happens when you fall in love with girls like ours." Derek commented wryly.

"I guess so." Booth replied. "You know I went to their trials." He said after a while.

"The Cartridges?" Derek asked, a little confused by the abrupt change of subject.

"Yeah. I needed to see for myself that they were gonna rot in jail for what they did to Tempe." Booth said, scuffing his boot along the wooden slats of the harbour. "I was so angry with myself for letting Jill get near Tempe and I needed to know that she wouldn't get away with it."

"Booth, it wasn't your fault, Jill was insane, she would have found a way to Tempe eventually, so just be grateful that Tempe's ok, and stop wallowing, it's just pathetic man." Derek said, smacking Booth across the head.

"Jeese Shepherd." Booth said, startled and rubbing his head in surprise.

"So is this why you Tempe fought?"

"Subtle, Derek, very subtle!" Booth mocked. Derek smiled and bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment. "And to answer your question, no that's not why we were fighting. It's kinda hard to explain but basically I accused her of pushing me away and she didn't respond very well."

"And you were surprised by this?" Derek asked cynically. "Come on, that girl has just gone through hell and you're surprised that she's having trouble letting you in? Give me a break." He paused and ran a hand through his hair, feeling the urge to pull it out in sheer frustration. "God if I knew I was going to have to deal with this stupidity, I would've left you to it." He paused and looked at Booth directly. "YOU...ARE...AN...INDIOT! Got it? Not only do you not seem to understand that Tempe needs you to give her time, you seem to have completely forgotten that as far as she can see you'll be abandoning her soon anyway."

"What?! I would never abandon her!" Booth snapped.

"Oh come on Booth, I know that, but let's look at it this from her point of view. You'll be going to Quantico to begin your FBI training soon, won't you?" Booth nodded. "Well, whenever anyone important to her has gone away before, they've basically disappeared out of her life." Derek smiled triumphantly as he saw a look of comprehension dawn on Booth's face. "There you go. See, you are an idiot but luckily enough for you, Tempe seems to like you in spite of that, such a shame that an intelligent girl like her would go for a guy like you." Derek chuckled, dodging Booth's half-hearted punch. The pair continued to stand there for a while, watching a boat pull gently into the harbour, before Derek turned back to Booth.

"So now that your bout of stupidity is over can we go? Some of us still have to work, you know." Booth laughed as they turned to return back the way they had come, his mind now focussing on the newest information that it had been given.

* * *

**OKs hope you all liked this chapter and that it explains a few things. Snow is melting but its still bleeding cold, so hopefully next chapter will be up soon. Review pleeeeeeeeeeease. pretty pretty please. anyway, *clears throat, pretending not to have begged for reviews* toodles. A xxxxxx P.S Review. heheheheheheh lol. **


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones then I wouldn't be saving up to buy a car, I'd have like six!!! Instead I don't so obviously I don't own them.

* * *

**Walking through the door of Meredith's house, Booth immediately ducked as he saw a book flying towards where he had just been standing.

"Woah!" He cried as the heavy book flew above his head, rubbing his head gingerly as though to feel for the bump that would have been there had he not ducked. Lifting his head, he gazed round to make sure that no other objects where going to be following after the book. Seeing that nothing else seemed to be heading his way, he pulled himself up, pausing only to grab the book from where it now lay. Instantly recognising it as one of Tempe's textbooks, he began to wonder whether she had intentionally thrown at his head or whether it had simply been a case of wrong place, wrong time.

Leaning around the doorway, so as to make sure that an angry Tempe wasn't lying in wait to throw something else at his head, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the coast was clear and walked confidently into the room.

"Hey Bones, would you mind not using me for target prac...tice..." He trailed off as he finally noticed Tempe's shaking body lying curled up on the couch. His heart pounding, Booth instantly ran over to where she lay and began running a gentle hand down her back in an attempt to soothe her distress. His heart clenched as he noticed the tears running down her pale cheeks, her eyes clenched shut in misery.

After a while, her tears began to subside, and Tempe gradually became aware of the gentle hand running down her back and the soft murmurs of a male voice. Hesitantly, she lifted her head away from the cushion and gazed up into the chocolate-brown eyes, which she loved so much and which were now full of concern for her. Suddenly embarrassed about him seeing her like this, she sat up, in the process pulling away from Booth's warm hand and angrily brushed against her tears, trying to remove all traces of her earlier misery. However, a brief glance at Booth, who's face was now graced with a sweet and loving smile, caused her eyes to once again well up and she began to cry in earnest, curling up in Booth's arms as he quickly pulled her towards him.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's alright, it's alright, I've got ya, I've got ya." He whispered softly in her ear, his hand resuming its previous actions along her back, his mind racing as he tried to understand what had upset her so badly.

* * *

The pair remained in each other's embrace for a while, each glad for the comfort which the other's arms provided and even after her tears had ceased to flow, Tempe still remained within the circle of his arms, their strength and security soothing her more than words ever could.

"You wanna tell me what's up then?" He asked eventually, running his hand through her soft curls. Tempe sighed heavily.

"It was nothing."

"Oh it was nothing, was it? So nothing caused you to throw this book at my head?" He teased gesturing towards the book, which he had brought with him from the hall.

"I wasn't aiming at you, you know." Tempe explained, her lip pouting in what Booth thought was an adorable gesture. "It was just annoying me."

"What the book?" Booth asked, a little confused. Tempe nodded. "Oh yeah, so why was it annoying you?" Booth asked, continuing to run his hand through her hair, knowing how much the gesture soothed her.

"I just couldn't concentrate that's all." She said before suddenly pulling away and stabbing him viciously in the chest with his finger, completely surprising him. "It was your fault too, you know." Then grumbling to herself, she once again lay her head back down on his chest.

"How on earth was it my fault?" Booth asked, confused as to how her inability to concentrate could be his fault. "I wasn't even here."

"I couldn't stop thinking about you! And wipe that smug look off your face this instant, Seeley Booth!" She threatened, without even turning to look at him, causing his self-satisfied smirk to disappear. "Anyway, so because I couldn't stop thinking about you, I couldn't concentrate on my work. So you see it is your fault that you almost got hit by the book, you were the reason I was distracted...stop laughing at me!!" She snapped irritably, feeling Booth's chest moving with his silent chuckles.

"I'm...I'm..." Booth stuttered, still fighting against the laughter bubbling in his chest. He gasped in surprise, however, when Tempe elbowed him sharply in the stomach, before pulling herself out of his embrace.

Immediately feeling guilty, Booth stood up and walked over to where Tempe was now standing, pulling her back into his arms.

"I'm sorry, Tempe. I shouldn't have laughed; it was just because I've been struggling with the same thing. I haven't been able to focus on anything either since we argued, I guess I just felt relieved that I wasn't the only one who was distracted by our fight." He explained, tilting her head up to look at him and smiling charmingly at her.

"Don't use your charm smile on me." She murmured half-heartedly, dropping her head back and cuddling up into his neck. "I'm still mad at you for laughing, you know."

"I know." Booth replied, content just to be holding her again.

* * *

"Tempe, you home?" Meredith called as she let herself and Derek into the house a few hours later. "Tempe?" She called again, peering into the den in search of her friend.

"Mer, come here and look at this." Derek whispered, leaning out of the living room. Curious as to why he was whispering, Meredith quickly moved to stand beside him.

"Derek, what..." She began, only to be stopped by the hand placed against her mouth. Glaring indignantly at him, she lifted her hand to pull his away but he shook his head at her and began speaking softly into her ear.

"Shhh! Look." He said and pointed towards the sofa that was placed next to the fireplace. His hand still place against her mouth, Meredith merely raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction that he was pointing, smiling at what she saw there.

* * *

**Hey hey so I'm still around. Sorry real life got very crazy there for a while, got a new job and then got writer's block on this chapter and then when I finally got it written down on paper I had no time to type it up. Anyway hopefully everything will be a bit smoother from now on and new chapters will be up soon-------ish. Anyways enjoy and please review. Toodles. A xxxxxx**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: Don't own, Don't sue, What more can I do?

* * *

**_Four years later...._

"Are you sure that this is a good idea?" Derek asked nervously, as he helped Meredith to decorate the living room of Ellis' house. "Tempe hates this kind of thing."

"Exactly." Meredith replied simply, her lips curling upwards in an evil grin as she hung another streamer along the mantelpiece.

"Right, Ok." Derek said, still confused but deciding to simply go along with the plan rather than trying to interfere with the relationship of the sisters. He smiled to himself as that word ran through his mind.

_Sisters._

It had to have been one of Ellis' most selfless acts, first fostering and then adopting Temperance, providing both girls with the family which they craved. Of course it hadn't always been easy, as both girls still had their demons to fight but the similarity of their problems had meant that they had been able to fight their abandonment issues together, strengthening the bond that had begun to form on that first terrible day. Now four years later the girls were closer than most sisters he knew, even his own and happier than ever. 'Of course,' he thought to himself, 'that might change when Tempe came home and found her 'surprise' waiting for her.'

"Derek will you quit daydreaming and help me!" Meredith shouted, snapping Derek out of his memories, as he rushed to help Meredith who was standing awkwardly on a ladder, stretching upwards as she tried to hang something from the ceiling.

* * *

After a while, the pair stood back to admire their handiwork, Meredith smiling widely, obviously very pleased with herself whilst Derek still looked nervous.

"I'm still not sure about this," he murmured, suddenly ducking as Meredith made to swipe at his head.

"Oh would you get a grip, this is just payback for what she did for our engagement party." Meredith said, "She'll just be glad that it'll only be us four and Mom rather than an entire house-full like I threatened."

Derek smirked as he remembered Meredith's reaction when she had walked into the house and seen the decorations, which Tempe had put up in honour of their engagement. Rather than having traditional decorations, Tempe had instead filled the living room with wreathes and banners all bearing the same phrase, "With Our Deepest Condolences." And to top it off she had invited all of Derek's family to the party. Thank goodness his mother and sisters had seen the funny side, indeed his mother had even congratulated Tempe on the success of the whole thing, well once Meredith was done chasing her round the house like a mad woman.

Now in retaliation, Meredith had decorated the house with pink and flowery decorations which all bore the word "Congratulations" but in such a way that you knew that they weren't designed to be used for a party celebrating someone's graduation. And in place of honour, above the fireplace, stood the picture of Seeley and Tempe, curled up together on the couch that Meredith had taken all those years ago, not really a photo that you would usually see at a graduation party. Oh yeah, Tempe was not going to be pleased, he just hoped that she didn't decide to take it out on him as well, he was just an innocent bystander, well for the most part anyway.

* * *

**Ok so I know that this is an extremely short chapter but since it's been ages since I posted anything, I wanted to get this part up now rather than waiting until I get the next part finished. I'm sorry that it's taken so long but work was insane and I also had major writer's block for this chapter however the ending of this story is now completely planned so there should be no more long delays. The next chapter should be up soon and then just one more after that I think. Hope you all enjoy this chapter and sorry again about the ridiculously long wait. Reviews will probably make me type faster hint hint. Lol. Either way enjoy. Toodles. A xxxxx**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: Now come on who in their right mind would believe that I own Bones or Grey's Anatomy? Come on, seriously. Though I do lay claim to the fabulous prank pulled by Tempe in the previous chapter. lol. But that's it. Sigh.

* * *

**Booth smiled broadly as he watched Tempe carefully brushing her long auburn hair. After several months of nagging, he had finally convinced her to allow it to grow long again and as she continued to brush it, he found himself transfixed by its beauty.

"You're staring again." Tempe commented, rolling her eyes at him in the mirror. Booth smiled at her in response, before standing up and wandering over to stand behind her.

"Can't help it." He replied simply.

"Of course you can, you could try doing something productive with your time rather than simply staring at me." Tempe stated plainly, whilst still secretly thrilled by Booth's obvious continuing attraction to her.

"Nah where's the fun in that?" Booth said, leaning down to steal a quick kiss, "Nope this is definitely a better use of my time."

"Get out of here, goofball, if you don't get in the shower now, we're going to be late for dinner at Mom's." Tempe said, laughing as she pushed Booth in the direction of the shower, his face now screwed up in a childish pout, "Go on, unless you want to explain to Mer why we were late?" Tempe finished, knowing that Meredith in one of her rages was something that Booth always wanted to avoid.

"Alright, alright I'm going, jeese threatening me with your sister, that's low," He moaned childishly, before reaching out and slipping his arms round Tempe's waist, pulling her into his arms. "Why do I put up with you?" He murmured, his breath caressing her skin gently.

"Because you love me." She whispered, leaning upwards to place her lips against his.

"Damn right I do." He replied before placing his lips firmly against hers in a loving kiss. As they broke apart, he smiled as he heard her whispered 'I love you too,' in his ear, before he felt her shoving him in the direction of the bathroom.

* * *

"You realise that this is a set-up right?" Tempe asked as they drove towards Ellis' house an hour later. "Mer's going to pull something as payback for what I did at her engagement party."

"Most likely but considering you pulled that little stunt in front of Derek's family, as well as us, I think it's only fair that she get some payback." Booth replied, grinning slightly, although he too was a little worried as to what Meredith was planning. The girls were renowned for pulling pranks either against each other or against their long-suffering boyfriends and Booth knew that Meredith was definitely planning something this time, if only for the fact that Derek looked nervous every time that he saw him.

"So anyway you go in first and that way if she's planning anything too bad, you can warn me." Tempe finished, apparently oblivious to Booth's inattention.

"Pardon?!" Booth sputtered, as his mind quickly replayed the last of what Tempe had said. "Oh no, missy, there is no way I'm going in first. You don't want me to go in first to warn you, you want me to go in first so that if anything is going to be thrown or dropped, it'll hit me instead of you."

"Did you just call me 'missy'?" Tempe asked, smiling innocently as she tried to pretend that she hadn't heard what Booth had said, but at his disbelieving look, she rolled her eyes and spoke again. "Oh alright so I was planning on using you as shield but you gotta admit, I almost had you."

"Yeah, whatever Bones," Booth scoffed, smiling as Tempe huffed in annoyance before gently taking her hand and feathering a kiss across her knuckles. "How about we go into together?" He suggested.

"I guess we could do that, but be warned if I see anything headed towards me, I'm still going to be using you as my human shield, deal?"

"Deal." Booth replied, leaning over to press a kiss against her lips.

* * *

**Ok so I know I promised that this would be up sooner but I've been tres busy all weekend and then when I finally sat down to write this up yesterday, I was kidnapped by some family friends and taken fishing since apparently its something everyone has to do at least once. It was loads of fun and I saw Orca and Porpoises too but anyway by the time I got back I was too knackered to write anything so basically yeah, long and involved but at least it's here now. Hope you all enjoy thanks for all the amazing reviews from the last chapter, nice to know you guys are still enjoying this. Anyways read and review. Toodles A xxxxxxxx**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer**: **Don't own, obviously since if I did Booth would stop dithering about and actually ask Bones out on a date, the idiot. Ah well.**

* * *

"Shhh!" Tempe murmured, as she and Booth gently pushed the back door open and entered the kitchen.

"You know we're not going to get away with this. There's only one way into the living room and that's going to be where they are waiting for you, coming in through the back door is not going to stop Meredith from embarrassing you." Booth whispered, his breath tickling the delicate skin of her ear, causing her to blush and shift awkwardly on the spot. Booth noticing her reaction, smirked and leaning closer, he muttered, "Later," grinning as he saw her face flame furiously, even as she glared at him.

"Yeah well, she won't be expecting us to come through the back door so this way we'll have the element of surprise." Tempe stated irritably, as she started walking towards the kitchen door.

"Ah-ha." Booth mumbled, his manner disbelieving and as Tempe went to open the door, he subtly stepped backwards and instead watched her enter the hall. When her scream of outrage ripped through the house a moment later, Booth, smiling innocently, followed her through the door, certain that he was now safe from any pranks set by Tempe's mischievous sister.

* * *

The scene which greeted him as he entered the hallway would forever be ingrained in his memory and with great restraint, he resisted the temptation to collapse into a fit of laughter.

Tempe stood just within the hall, covered from head to toe in pink and silver confetti, which had been dumped onto her head by a bucket, that had been placed strategically above the kitchen door.

Meredith stood nearby, a triumphant smile on her face as she quickly snapped another photo with the camera, which she had made sure was close by.

"Come on, Tempe, you didn't really think that we wouldn't realise that you would try to sneak in through the back door?"

Tempe rather than reply to her sister's mocking words, instead turned and glared at Booth, who promptly burst out laughing at the sight of his girlfriend covered in pink and silver confetti, her hands on her hips in attempt to look menacing. His chuckles died off though as Tempe stepped towards him, her eyes narrowing in anger.

"E-r-r-r…" Booth stammered nervously.

"You set me up" She snapped furiously, the anger in her tone causing Booth to gulp anxiously. "Er…" He stuttered hesitantly, instantly realising that trying to deny anything would be futile. "Well I may have had an idea but I didn't actually know…" He hedged trying to ignore Derek, who was chuckling at Booth's unconscious imitation of his girlfriend's rambling.

Expecting an angry outburst from his own girlfriend, Booth instead only had time to register Tempe's mischievous grin before she emptied the rest of the confetti onto his head. As the confetti rained down and her cheeky giggles rang out, Booth smiled widely and wrapping an arm around Tempe's small waist, he pulled her tightly against him.

"That wasn't very funny, you know." He murmured, gazing into her beautiful blue eyes.

"Oh really?" She replied, before gesturing towards Meredith and Derek, who were still laughing at Tempe's last stunt. "Because we all thought it was hilarious!"

"Hmmm…" Booth hummed, before placing a passionate kiss on Tempe's lips, its effects leaving Tempe stunned and gasping for breath. Smiling smugly, Booth realised his tight grip on her, although his hands remained on her hips.

"You'll pay for that." She grumbled once she got her breath back as her face once again flushed, this time in embarrassment.

"I can't wait."

* * *

_Later that evening…_

Booth smiled as he watched Meredith and Tempe chattering happily together on the sofa. Ellis had been called into an emergency surgery but had stayed long enough to congratulate Tempe and tell the girls how proud she was of them, shocking them both. Both Derek and Booth had glared at her though when they recognised the undercurrents of surprise in her tone when she spoke of Meredith's achievements. Even after all these years Ellis still acted like it was a constant surprise that Meredith ever succeeded in anything. Shaking his head in an attempt to banish such depressing thoughts, Booth instead turned his focus back to the girls.

"Things have certainly changed haven't they?" Derek commented from where he stood beside Booth, gesturing towards the happy girls.

"Yeah they have, but its all definitely been for the better." Booth replied, sighing happily as he watched Tempe laughing at a story that her sister was telling her.

"So when are you going to give her the ring?" Derek asked suddenly.

"Pardon?" Booth said, not realising that he had been unconsciously fingering the ring box in his pocket for the last five minutes. Smiling uncomfortably as Derek smirked at him, he asked,

"Have I really been that obvious?"

"No its only because I was doing the exact same thing when I was planning on proposing to Mer. I was so nervous that I kept thinking that the ring would disappear if I didn't keep checking on it." Derek explained laughing lightheartedly at the memory. "So when are you going to propose?"

Booth smiled as Tempe turned to face him and they briefly locked eyes before she flashed him a smile and turned back to her sister.

There was almost no trace of the beaten and broken girl that he had met in that hospital corridor all those years ago. She was still the same incredibly intelligent and passionate girl but the despair that had threatened to consume her had now been banished by her loving family. Russ had remained an inconsistent but caring presence in her life and the two couples had formed a close knit group, who all supported each other throughout the passing years.

Come September, Tempe would begin studying for her PHD in Forensic Anthropology whilst Meredith would be starting her first year of medical school. Life was perfect, well almost and turning back to Derek he uttered a single word,

"Soon."

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**So we have reached the end of this story, there is an epilogue to come but beyond that we have reached the end. I hope you have enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it and that you like the ending, I had always planned to end it here so I hope you guys like it.**

**I am really sorry that this has taken so long to get up, but unfortunately although this chapter has been written for a while my computer died and I had no way to type this up nor any access to my notes. Now my new computer is finally set up and sorted and so voila. **

**So anyway I'll type the epilogue up as soon as possible. Read and review. Toodles. A xxxxxx**


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: Lets see, big huge flashy car, nope, loads of money, nope, tan, nope-- guess that means i dont own any of it cept this storyline.

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Dr Temperance Brennan strode confidently into her new office at the Jeffersonian Institute.

This day was a realisation of a life-long dream, after years of hard work she was finally a Forensic Anthropologist with her own team at one of the most prestigious Forensic labs in the world. It was everything she had ever thought that she would want.

However luckily for her it wasn't all that she had.

Smiling gently, her hand went to the delicate chain that hung around her neck, her fingertips brushing against the rings that her husband had so carefully placed there that same morning. Moving around her desk to finish organising the items which she had brought with her that day, Tempe smiled softly as she remembered the first time that her husband had hung her rings there.

* * *

_It was her first day back at her current research post after the wedding and she was getting dressed when Booth came into the bathroom, his hands behind his back, smiling nervously. Slightly suspicious having seen that expression on her sister's face many times after Meredith had borrowed something and broken or lost it, Tempe turned to face her husband, raising a curious eyebrow. _

_Rather than respond, Booth merely handed her a small box and indicated that she should open it, smiling widely as Tempe gasped in surprise. Reaching out, Booth carefully lifted the delicate white gold chain out of the box before gently pulling her engagement and wedding ring off her left finger, sliding them both onto the chain. Watching her husband's antics in confusion, Tempe smiled as Booth reached around her neck and slipped the necklace on, the rings clinking softly against each other as they came to rest against her chest. _

"_I know that you've had to keep taking your engagement ring off whilst you've been examining those lovely bones of yours and I also know that whether you admit it or not you're always worried that you'll lose them. This way," He explained gesturing towards the necklace, "They're safe and you can still put them back on if you need to scare off any horny professors." Booth finished, remembering in annoyance Tempe's research professor, who had continually tried to get Tempe to go out with him, no matter how often she showed him her engagement ring and told him that she wasn't interested. Tempe, seeing her husband's irritable expression smirked and wrapped her arms round his neck, her blue eyes locking with his brown ones. _

"_There's the alpha male I first fell in love with." She teased, before placing a gentle yet loving kiss on his lips. "Thank you for the necklace, Booth, its perfect."

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_

"Dr Brennan?" A voice suddenly called, breaking her out of her memories and Tempe turned to see an older gentleman entering the room, an intelligent look on his dark face.

"Dr Goodman," She replied courteously, holding her hand out to shake his.

"Its good to see you again, Dr Brennan. I trust everything here is up to your standards?" He inquired gazing quickly around the room.

"Yes thank you, Dr Goodman." Tempe replied, placing the last few things on her desk, some photos of herself and Booth, Meredith and Derek and finally of all of them taken the previous Christmas.

"Your family?" Dr Goodman, admiring the photos.

"Yes, this is my sister and her husband and this is my husband." Tempe said, gesturing towards the figures in the photos.

"A handsome family, Dr Brennan, you should be proud." Dr Goodman paused and looked at the young woman in front of him, once again impressed by the intelligence and passion that radiated from her. One thing still confused him however. "I must admit I was surprised at your request to keep your marriage a secret from the rest of the Jeffersonian, may I inquire as to why that is?"

Tempe looked at her new boss, carefully scrutinizing him, wondering whether it was indeed a good idea to confide in him. In the end she went with what Booth would call her gut but what she would say was an instinctual feeling based on previous knowledge of the man.

"It's quite simple really," She began, "My private life is that, private and with the careers that my husband and I have its probably safer for all of us if our relationship is not known. However I'm not going to actively stop people from knowing about us although I'm also not going to broadcast it either. The fact that I'm married has no baring on my ability to do this job and therefore it is not information which I feel I need to share with my colleagues." Tempe finished calmly watching as Dr Goodman processed her declaration.

Finally Dr Goodman smiled and nodded, "I'm very pleased to welcome you to the Jeffersonian Institute, Dr Brennan, I believe that you will fit in very well here," and with that surprising comment, Dr Goodman turned and left her office leaving Tempe to stare after him in surprise. Of all the answers which he had could have given her, this had definitely been the most unexpected.

Suddenly her cell phone began ringing and swiftly grabbing it, she answered it.

"Brennan."

"Jeese, Tempe, could you be just a little bit more formal when you answer the phone, I mean you never know, it could be the President calling or something, not just your little old sister." Meredith's teasing tones sang out from the small device.

Rolling her eyes at her sister's antics, Tempe wandered over to her desk and collapsed down on the chair placed behind it. Choosing to ignore her sister's comments, Tempe instead asked,

"So did you have a reason for calling or did you just want to make comments about how I answer the phone?"

"Nope, just wanted to tease you, I've got an hour until I'm finished with this god-awful night shift and since I can't sleep, figured I ring and annoy you." Meredith paused and Tempe smiled as she heard a deep voice scolding her about waking up poor doctors, who were trying to sleep. "Derek says hi." Meredith commented cheerfully a moment later, causing Tempe to laugh as she heard the deep voice grumble again at Meredith's words.

"You're mean you know?" Tempe commented as she imagined the scene at Seattle Grace, where her sister and her husband were currently working. Most likely the pair were curled up in an on-call room and from the sounds of it although Meredith couldn't sleep, Derek had had no such problems until Meredith's phone call.

"I know but he loves me for it so I could hardly change now could I. Anyway he's just grumpy cos I'm stuck here and he can't sleep without me so he's stuck here too." Tempe laughed as Meredith giggled at her husband's continued irritable mutterings before they were suddenly interrupted by a loud beeping. "Oh damn, pit's paging me, I'll speak to you tonight, Tempe, I want to here all about your first day. Miss you loads, give that big lug of a husband of yours a big, embarrassing, smoochy kiss for me."

"Will do Mer, miss you too, speak to you soon." Tempe replied, before ending the call. Smiling softly, Tempe gazed at the picture of herself and her sister that had been taken the last time the girls had been together, almost a month before.

She remembered how alone she had felt before Meredith had found her in that car park, broken and bleeding and how that had all changed after Meredith had rescued her.

It had only taken a minute for her life to change drastically but she wouldn't change a second of it.

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**So that's it folks we have reached the end. I hope you all like it, I must admit I particularly enjoyed the phone call between Meredith and Tempe. At this point I have no concrete plans for a sequel although I have some ideas however if I do write one it won't be any time soon since I need to take a step back from this story. Anyways I hope you have all enjoyed this story and thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so positively, they really kept me going when this story threatened to suck the very life out of me. Toodles A xxxxxx**


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